A Requiem for Dawn
by CreepLetterE
Summary: The fate of the ninja world is changed forever the night Itachi Uchiha steals away with a certain blonde haired jinchuuriki.
1. Prologue: Rage, Rage

Itachi walked on in a daze, oblivious to his surroundings unless his senses told him there was another person near. He thought there might be blood on his face, but the warmth could've been just from the tears. Strangely, instead of the slaughter, what his mind replayed over and over instead was the look on Sasuke's face. The shock, horror, and betrayal… what he'd done had broken his brother, there was no denying it. Even if the reasons were right, even if he couldn't bring himself to regret it, he wished that somehow Sasuke could be spared from the pain.

"Why are you crying?" a sudden voice asked out of the darkness. Itachi's Sharingan immediately came back full force, almost straight from nothing to Mangekyou. He turned toward the voice, two shuriken spinning on his fingers before the thought to take them out crossed his mind. He wondered if he should eliminate anyone who saw him crying; if Danzo heard, things could get bad.

"Will you tell anyone?" Itachi asked, because he could make out the figure who had asked. It was the Nine-Tails kid, who didn't seem particularly close to anyone, maybe because everyone who remembered the trauma of the Nine-Tails hated him. All his worries about the dangers of being found out leaked away. No one would listen to the kid the Nine-Tails had been sealed into, Fourth's son or not.

"No. I don't really care," the Nine-Tails kid said, and when the moon came out from behind the clouds Itachi could tell it was true. The kid's eyes were empty, except for a dangerous anger simmering beneath them that sent a shiver through Itachi. Itachi wondered what would happen if the kid had no one to guide him. He could remember the destruction the Nine-Tails had caused, which had even ended with the death of a Hokage. He didn't put away his shuriken; instead he raised them higher and watched the empty-eyed blonde kid through the gaps they made when they spun.

"Are you gunna kill me?" the kid asked, scowling. "Or are you just gunna look at me that way, the way everyone does?"

Itachi stopped the shuriken from spinning and lowered them. The kid couldn't have been older than Sasuke—probably even the same age—and despite the huge differences in how they looked, the kid had the same stubborn set to his jaw Sasuke sometimes got. With his arms crossed over a silly orange nightshirt and his tiny body set in a defensive posture, as if to defend from the look and the shuriken, all of Itachi's desire to harm him drained away. His eyes slowly went back to normal as he put his shuriken away and shook his head.

"I don't want to kill you," Itachi said quietly, then reached out and laid a hand atop the yellow fluff on the kid's head. "I'm sorry they look at you like that."

The kid tensed under Itachi's hand and suddenly looked unsure, his cheeks flushing a bit the way Sasuke's did when he was pleased with Itachi's attention. It was strange to see someone who was supposedly a ball of destruction and hatred look so innocent. It made the ghost of a smile cross Itachi's face, despite the fact that his heart and soul were shattering.

When he dropped his hand and turned to go, he felt a resistance and paused, glancing over his shoulder. The kid was clutching the back of his jacket, small fists knotted in it as the kid looked up at him with an expression he never thought anyone would look at him with; hope.

"Hey… are you leaving?" the kid asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.

"I—" Itachi began, then frowned. Are you leaving? not Where are you going? As if anywhere could be better than here, the village Itachi would lay down his life and soul to protect. He knelt until he was face-to-face with the kid and gave a solemn nod.

"Are you going far?"

Another nod.

"Can I… can I come with you?"

The kid's voice was shy, and Itachi realized he'd been originally mistaken. There was more than just emptiness and rage to his kid; there was a huge hope in his eyes, like he had some sort of dream he was desperate to make come true. Hope, and an even bigger desire. A craving for some form of acknowledgement, no matter where it came from. If someone kind-hearted noticed it, this kid could become a bearer of the village's spirit. But if someone like Danzo saw and decided to use it…

"If you left, you'd have to leave your entire life behind," Itachi said, unsure how he could actually be considering this. It would make things a hundred times harder to bring an untrained kid along, and the new mission the Hokage had given him could be completely ruined. But still, one of the Akatsuki goals was to collect all the Tailed Beasts. And maybe, deep down, Itachi wanted someone, anyone to ease the empty loneliness that threatened to consume him.

"What life?" the kid asked, looking out over dark rooftops with a haunted expression. "I hate this place. Everyone here hates me for no reason, and they always turn their backs on me like I don't even exist. Maybe if I go somewhere else where people don't know who I am, things will be better."

It was true; Itachi had seen the way parents ushered their kids away from the Nine-Tails kid anytime he approached them. He had seen how everyone hated the kid. What life really waited here for a Tailed Beast child beyond suffering and rage?

"Hey… Do people look at me like that because I'm a monster, or am I monster because people look at me like that?" the kid suddenly asked, desperation to hear the answer colouring his voice. That question finally pushed Itachi over the edge.

"Neither. You aren't a monster. You're human, same as the rest of us, and if you want to come with me I won't stop you."

The kid didn't even hesitate, he stuck his hand out stoically and said: "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Thank you."

Itachi hesitantly reached out with a hand that had just participated in the slaughter of his entire clan and shook Naruto's.

"I'm Itachi Uchiha. I hope I can change your views on Konoha one day."


	2. Chapter 1: Fate Stirs

**Four Years Later**

"Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sai Shimura," Iruka called out. Sasuke sat quietly, while Sakura cheered and Ino fumed, and tried not to think about the weakness of his group. Sakura was just plain annoying, and the new guy Sai who'd shown up in class only a few months before seemed like an idiot. Both of them together in his group was almost as bad as having both Sakura and Ino, and he had to squeeze his fists together to keep from protesting. It wasn't like there was anyone else he could suggest. There was no one here strong enough to push Sasuke to get stronger.

After class, he left before either of his new teammates could ask any stupid questions like whether or not he wanted to eat with them. He ignored anyone else who called out to him and went straight to the training grounds, taking out kunai knives and doing his daily ritual. Hit eight targets by bouncing kunai knives off each other, expand his chakra's limits by using fireball jutsu until he nearly passed out, and push his body as far as it could go in attacking dummies. He couldn't wait until their new teacher showed him new techniques he could train in.

"Ah, young Uchiha," he heard from behind him when he was halfway through his regiment and beginning to sweat. He turned and was shocked to find the Third Hokage standing behind him, blowing out a puff of smoke and raising an impressed eyebrow at the number of kunai knives that were in the center of the targets near him.

"Good afternoon, sir," Sasuke said as politely as he could, the image of red, swirling eyes fading from his mind as he drew in a deep breath and made his way over to the leader of Konoha. He was surprised that the Third wanted to talk to him; the Hokage was usually busy dealing with paperwork or his annoying grandson.

"Your training is coming along well, I see. I'm sure you'll be able to impress Kakashi enough for him to take you on."

"Thank you, sir. But that can't be the only reason you came to talk to me, right?" Sasuke asked, wondering just what the Hokage wanted. Nothing significant had happened besides his graduation recently, so the only thing he could think of was that the Hokage had some sort of news abouthim.

"No," the Hokage said gravely, blowing smoke from his pipe into the air. He studied it as if stalling with what he wanted to say. The subject seemed to pain him, so much so that Sasuke got the feeling that whatever it was had to be about more than Itachi.

"I was wondering, Sasuke… When you were younger, did you ever happen to meet a boy named Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto… the name sounded familiar, in the way the name of some celebrity that had been mentioned but never seen was. Sasuke searched through his thoughts, trying to remember what he knew about the person the name belonged to. He didn't usually concern himself with anything that didn't have to do with power or Itachi, but somehow the name felt important. Naruto… right! That's why he knew the name! It did involve Itachi.

"He's the kid who went missing the night Itachi slaughtered my clan," Sasuke growled, thinking about how he'd been questioned briefly about what he knew of the other kid after the massacre. It had been mostly passed off as a coincidence and forgotten about—the kid hadn't had any family to raise a fuss—and Sasuke hadn't really thought about it since.

"So you don't know anything about him other than that?" the Third questioned, his voice and eyes intense. It made no sense; what did this Naruto kid have to do with anything now? At that age, it wasn't like he could've helped Itachi in the massacre, and Sasuke couldn't imagine what kind of connection they could've had. Even if his disappearance had somehow been related to Itachi, what did it matter so many years later?

"No," Sasuke muttered, wondering what the hell was going on. The Third nodded, then turned to leave without another word. Before he could get out of earshot, Sasuke quickly called after him then asked, "Why? What's going on?"

"Naruto is…" the Third started, winced, then forged on. "…special. He's not a normal person like the rest of us. You may not have known this, but the Anbu Black Ops have been searching for him this entire time."

Sasuke felt his eyes widen disbelievingly; a kid his own age was so important that Konoha had members of the Anbu looking for him? That was insane! Did this kid have some kind of crazy power no one else knew about? Was it something Sasuke could ever harness and use against his brother?

"We found nothing for years, but apparently he surfaced near the Sand Village a few days ago. Only a few reports saw him, but it was undoubtedly him. I just wanted to confirm that he couldn't possibly have any connection with Itachi, considering the fact that where he was sighted is nearly the exact same place Itachi was last spotted two years ago."

Sasuke froze, gripping a kunai he was holding so hard that the blade cut into his palm. The disappearance could be passed off as a coincidence, but resurfacing in the same spot? Even if it was a few years apart from each other, it had to mean something.

"I see," Sasuke said under his breath, as the Third nodded a farewell and continued on his path. Sasuke faced his targets again, trying to remember what he recalled about Naruto Uzumaki. Precious little, since there wasn't much to recall. He didn't even know what Naruto looked like.

But if this guy was connected to Itachi, he'd have to look into it. With the disappearance and special powers, maybe he was even connected to the Uchiha massacre. Sasuke gritted his teeth and imagined the faceless name as one of the targets in front of him. He leapt up, throwing kunai in the air and bouncing them off each other to hear a satisfying thunk as each of them hit their mark, even the one directed toward a target that moved along a rope when the wind was high like today. Whoever this 'Naruto Uzumaki' was, Sasuke would find the connection between him and Itachi. And if it proved they were somehow working together, Sasuke would kill him too.

* * *

Sarutobi let out a long sigh as he collapsed into the Hokage's desk, thinking about the young Uchiha. While he didn't know anything worthwhile about Naruto, it had still been valuable to talk to him to see how he was coming along. He was a brilliant ninja full of promise, but Sarutobi could see a shroud of darkness all around him that no one had been able to pierce with a friendship. It was troubling indeed—he'd have to have Kakashi keep a close eye on that one, lest something like Orochimaru happen.

"Lord Hokage," a deep, familiar voice suddenly spoke, and the Hokage stood up sharply, turning to the figure who had seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Tall, weary, and yet somehow dignified, Itachi Uchiha stood before him, still looking much the same as he had when he'd come to deliver "Mission Complete."

"Itachi Uchiha… I never thought I'd see you here again," the Hokage said, genuinely surprised that the rogue ninja had dared come back into the village. Of course, being the genius that he was it probably hadn't been hard, but the Hokage had thought he'd seen the last of the boy the night he'd killed his own family. No… Itachi was no boy. He was, and for a long time had been, a man.

"I came to deliver some troubling news that's been circulating through the rumour network," Itachi said, cutting to the chase with refined precision. "Orochimaru is planning to make a move against Konoha during the upcoming Chuunin Exams. What you choose to do with this information is up to you, but know that I'll be watching closely to make sure no harm comes to my brother. Orochimaru has already attempted to seduce me to his side, so I have no doubt he'll be after Sasuke next."

With his piece said, it was clear Itachi was about to leave, but before he did the Hokage blurted out the question that had burned his mind since the night of the massacre.

"Naruto Uzumaki… Did you have anything to do with his disappearance, Itachi?"

Itachi was a master of all things, from jutsu to theory to keeping his emotions in check. Especially as a former Anbu Black Ops member, it was very near impossible to tell what emotions boiled in his mind, good or bad. So the question Sarutobi asked wasn't really meant to elicit any response, it was more just a spur-of-the-moment thing. But, for a just second, Sarutobi could've sworn the rogue ninja's eyes flashed red.

Then, without another word, the eldest Uchiha brother disappeared in a flutter of black wings. Sarutobi sat back down heavily in his chair, steepling his fingers on his desk. Evidently something had happened between the Uchiha and the Fourth's son, but Sarutobi couldn't imagine what it could've been. Perhaps it was good that young Naruto had met with one of the most loyal ninjas Konoha had, but Sarutobi couldn't stop a feeling of unease from growing in his stomach.

The Nine-Tails' vessel, Itachi Uchiha, the Akatsuki, Orochimaru, Sasuke's darkness, the Sand Village, and the upcoming Chuunin Exams… What did all of these things coming together mean?

* * *

"Gaara! There you are!" Temari called, springing up to the rooftop using her fan as leverage. She landed lightly beside him and reached out to ruffle his red hair, looking out over the village he was watching. "What are you up to, little brother?"

"He was supposed to come tonight," Gaara's raspy voice said quietly. Temari glanced down at him, wondering how he felt about the fact that his tiny blonde friend had stood up him up. Only two years ago, Temari would've been too terrified to get close enough to read Gaara's expression, let alone put her hand on his head like this, but all that had changed when a certain blonde kid showed up and the two pounded on each other.

Dragged out by worry even though they knew their younger brother had monstrous strength, Temari and Kankuro had witnessed one of the most amazing battles they'd probably ever see. The conflict had begun when the small blonde guy had shown up in the Sand Village out of nowhere, hanging around Lady Chiyo's house. Word on the street was that he'd been gravely injured somehow, and some rogue Leaf Village ninja had dropped him off at Lady Chiyo's house without a word to be healed.

Although the Sand Village tried to find and capture the rogue Leaf ninja, no one could bring themselves to tell the Anbu that had come to investigate that the red-eyed ninja had left a kid there. The kid's bright eyes and easy smile were too charming for anyone in the Sand Village to betray him to the Leaf. No one had bothered him; most people had given him space, but one of his walks down the Sand Village's streets had seen him meet with Gaara. They'd stared each other in the eye for a full minute before the blonde kid had stepped forward and whispered something in Gaara's ear. After that, Kankuro and Temari had been forced to follow the two a ways outside of the Sand Village, where they began a fight Temari couldn't even begin to explain.

Even now she couldn't comprehend what she'd seen. Gaara had been no match for the tiny blonde kid with the black nails. Gaara had been left on his knees, coughing up blood, while the other kid frowned down at him as if to say 'Is that it?' Then the kid had done something no one had ever done to Gaara; he'd reached down and offered his hand to help the redhead up.

After that, they'd spoken for so long that her and Kankuro had left, coming back in the morning to find a smile of all things on Gaara's face. The blonde kid had disappeared after that, but every now and then Temari would spot him up on a roof with Gaara, the two laughing as if they had no cares in all the world.

"Maybe he's just late?" Temari said kindly, hoping that was the case. Becoming friends with the blonde kid was the best thing that had ever happened to Gaara; he'd become a totally different person, one with loads more self-control and even some politeness. Tons of people were still wary of him, but others offered him tentative smiles sometimes. It helped that he no longer glared at people as if he wanted to crush them in five bazillion tons of sand, too.

"No…" Gaara said, crossing his arms dejectedly. "There were Anbu Black Ops here last week when he came, and they saw him. He managed to get away, but I don't think his older brothers will be very happy about it. They probably locked him up."

Temari stared at Gaara; that was the first time Gaara had given her actual information about the blonde kid. Who he was and where he came from was a mystery, and the only thing she knew was that he would become (and possibly already was) one of the strongest people in the world. Beyond that, Temari didn't even know if he was a ninja—he didn't have a headband or anything—but she suspected he might be involved with the Leaf Village somehow, considering the lengths he'd gone to hide from the Anbu members who routinely came back to ask if any rogue ninja had wandered through.

"His… older brothers?"

"He has eight older brothers, one older sister, and a man he loves and respects more than anything. I don't think they're all related by blood, but if he considers them family then it doesn't matter."

Gaara's voice was adamant, as if he expected Temari to argue with him.

"Er… okay," Temari said, wondering how far she could push her luck in finding out more about the kid. "But locking him up? That's pretty harsh."

Gaara fell silent for a long moment, watching the sand swirl through the streets. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, but unlike how Gaara had been about the moon two years ago, he now seemed to enjoy its feel. It was good to see him so stable, especially considering the upcoming Chuunin Exams.

"Things that seem harsh to other people are easy to him," Gaara said softly. "The training he's gone through… I can't even imagine something like that. I don't know how he's still who he is."

"Who is he?" Temari asked, wondering if she'd finally get the answer. After another minute of silence broken only by the wind, Gaara spoke two words and Temari had to stifle a disappointed sigh.

"My friend."

* * *

"Is he getting back soon?"

"How many times do we have to tell you we don't know before you get it through your thick skull, hm? No one knows when he's coming back when he decides to go on solo missions like this, hm."

"Haa, you're useless. I don't know why I bother talking to you, Deidara."

"Wait a sec, you little brat, speaking to your older brother like—"

"Sasori?"

"Yes?"

"How long does he have left until he's late?"

"Six hours and three minutes."

"Man, that's a while. Hey, how about you teach me some more puppet jutsu while we wait?"

"Don't just ignore m—"

"Aren't your fingers still broken from the last time we practised?"

"No, they're all healed up."

"The Nine-Tails' power is sure something else."

"You guys aren't going to include me no matter what I say, hm?"

"Alright, I'll teach you some more. Since you can already control one puppet per hand, we'll have to focus on getting it down to you being able to control one puppet per finger."

"Coooool."

"Even though you two are ignoring me, I guess I'll come watch anyway, hm. It's better than just waiting around for Itachi to come back. And besides, if you get bored of puppets, I can teach you some more clay moulding skills, hm."

"Nah, there's no point in learning anymore moulding. Most of your technique is kekkai genkai, so I can only use clay you've already made. Besides keeping some pre-made bombs on me, there's no point in learning any more. It'll take too long in battle."

"Learning how to be quicker is the point, hm!"

"If it gets to the point where I'm bored with puppets, I'll forget Itachi and go back to ask Nagato—er, Pain, if he'll teach me more wind jutsu."

"You know, you've really got to stop calling him Nagato when you're outside of our group, hm. He doesn't want people knowing who he is, hm."

"Are you two coming or are you going to make me wait?"

"Hah, he sure hates waiting. Let's go, hm."


	3. Chapter 2: Fade to Black

Sasuke waited for Kakashi with his other two teammates, who were both eyeing him. Sai's glances were a little creepy and intense, but they were nothing compared to Sakura's heart eyes. Sasuke sank a little lower in his chair, wishing someone would diffuse the tension somehow, but no one took the initiative and the clock ticked by while Kakashi's appearance grew later and later.

"Argh, how long is he gunna make us wait?" Sakura finally burst out, rather uncharacteristically.

"Not much longer I'm sure," Sai said, unruffled by the whole thing. Sasuke crossed his arms, wondering what Sai's deal was. Everything about him seemed so… fake, from his smiles to his flat laughs. Sasuke couldn't ever imagine getting along with someone so weird. Oddly, he felt like if there was anyone he could get close to on this team, it was Sakura, which wasn't a comforting thought. Deep down, he wondered if he'd ever find a true friend the way Itachi had found Shisui.

He shook the thought from his head as the door finally opened; trying to find a friend just to kill them was darker than even he was willing to go.

"You're late!" Sakura yelled, then glanced at Sasuke, blushed, and sat down. "N-not that there's anything wrong with that, Sensei."

"Hm, well, I just got lost on the path of life."

It was such a blatant lie that Sasuke fought the urge to smack his head on the table, while Sakura actually did. Sai was all polite smiles and nods as if what Kakashi had said made perfect sense. The three ended up following him outside for introductions, which didn't turn out very helpful. Kakashi was vague at best, Sakura's fawning was annoying, Sai's "I like sunshine, I don't like rain, and my dream is to serve the village" was generic, and Sasuke's introduction warranted concerned looks from all involved.

In the end, the only good thing that came of the introductions was the end when Kakashi told them where to meet him for one final test in the morning. After that, they were dismissed and the three went their separate ways, Sakura casting disheartened glances after Sasuke's hunched shoulders.

* * *

Itachi lay his head against the wall of the hideout's cave, letting out a long sigh. Going back to Konoha and speaking to the Third had made old wounds ache, so he hadn't gone to find Naruto immediately after coming back the way he normally would. He heard footsteps approach but he didn't bother to open his eyes; he could tell by the weight of the footsteps who it was. The person settled down beside him and they breathed together for a while before Itachi finally opened his eyes and looked over.

Sasori had his eyes closed as if he were sleeping, but at Itachi's look they opened lazily and he reached into his cloak, pulling out a vial. He handed it over without a word, inspecting his nails as if there was something interesting about them. Itachi uncorked the vial and drank it down as if it weren't the most bitter thing he'd ever tasted in his life, then handed it back to Sasori. After a few more minutes, Sasori stood, dusted himself off, and started walking away.

"You should tell him, you know," Sasori said over his shoulder, not pausing as he said it.

"What do you think would happen if I did?" Itachi asked tiredly, rubbing a hand over his face. There were some things that were better off left unsaid.

"I don't know what will happen if you do…" Sasori murmured quietly. "But I know how he'll feel if you don't."

He left Itachi alone with his thoughts, the faces of his light and dark younger brothers haunting him.

* * *

"So all we have to do is get the bells?" Sai asked, well-mannered as always. Kakashi's smile was visible through his mask as he held up the two bells, shaking them so they jingled slightly.

"Yep. Simple, right?"

As simple as it sounded, the three teammates could barely even touch the bells. Sasuke came close a couple of times, grazing a bell with a fingertip at one point, but the jounin teacher proved to be a far better opponent than Sasuke had ever expected. Even Sai's ink monsters couldn't get close, and pretty soon the blank-faced boy was sweating and his smile had disappeared.

Sasuke cursed his weakness over and over again, wondering just what the hell all his training had been for. He couldn't keep up to a guy who was probably half Itachi's strength, so where was he supposed to get the power to defeat his older brother? By lunch, he was fuming, and also running on fumes. His stomach growled like nobody's business, and he was pretty sure there'd be no sneaking up on anybody until he'd eaten.

Somehow, Kakashi had ended up tying Sakura to a log when Sasuke got to their lunch meeting spot, and she looked pretty pissed about it, though she tried not to show it.

"Now, the two of you who were doing the best can eat, but Sakura can't. Make sure you don't feed her anything or you fail and you can never become ninjas."

Kakashi said the whole thing with his lips in a smile under his mask, and Sasuke had to clench his teeth from screaming about how unfair that was. How was Sakura supposed to have a fighting chance when she was weak with hunger? It's not like he was all that interested in helping her, but there were only two bells and he'd rather Sakura got one of them than Sai. As the three of them sat around together, Sai happily enjoying his lunch, Sasuke offered Sakura some of his food.

"S-Sasuke is giving me f-food?" Sakura asked, talking mostly to herself. Her eyes shone as if she were about to cry, but she quickly turned her head away. Sasuke frowned.

"Just eat it," he muttered. "You need your strength if we're going to work together."

"But Sasuke, if we get caught you won't be able to be a ninja anymore. I can't let that happen! I won't eat it and risk you getting in trouble."

"He's gone, just eat it," Sasuke growled, louder this time. Sai had paused in his meal to watch the two of them curiously, apparently having no desire to share his own food. Well, whatever, it wasn't like Sasuke had expected him to be much of a team player. When Sakura stubbornly shook her head again, Sasuke let out a loud, annoyed sigh and stood, holding out a mouthful of food on a chopstick for her eat. Her face went scarlet, but she still refused.

"Come on, you idiot!" Sasuke was yelling now, waving it in front of her face. "You need to keep your strength up!"

"The hell you calling me an idiot for?" Sakura finally roared. "I'm trying to stop you from getting in trouble!" She seemed to regret the outburst as soon as it happened, but when Sasuke still pushed the food at her she got even angrier until they started arguing. After a few moments of this, there was suddenly a huge explosion and everyone but Sai flinched back as Kakashi appeared in front of them.

"YOU!" he yelled. Sasuke lowered the lunchbox, dumbstruck. He was about to fail out of becoming a ninja for trying to feed a stubborn teammate. Out of everything he could've imagined happening, this was probably the lowest on his 'believable' list. Sakura Haruno had been annoying from the beginning, but he had to admit he'd sort of admired the backbone she'd shown in denying the lunch. Still, it wasn't like she was worth giving everything up for! He clenched his jaw, ready to argue back, when Kakashi said,

"…passed."

* * *

Temari went to visit Gaara on the roof a week after the initial visit. At his worried expression, her first thought was that his little friend still hadn't come to visit, but when she got closer she instinctively felt that it was something else. Gaara looked up at her approach, and even more than worried, he looked upset.

"What's up, little bro?" Temari asked, dropping beside him and crossing her legs. She wondered if he'd even tell her; maybe if it involved his friend he'd keep it to himself to protect his friend's privacy. But Gaara was curiously forthcoming.

"I'm worried about him," Gaara said, kicking his feet against the side of the building and sending up soft puffs of sand.

"Has he not come to see you yet?" Temari asked with a frown. It wasn't unusual for Gaara's friend not to come for a few weeks, even a month.

"He came to see me last night," Gaara sighed, pressing his palms together as if he were praying or performing some strong jutsu. "I once told him he could ask for anything he needed, but I never thought…"

Gaara's voice dropped off as he took one hand and used it to make images in the sand. Two boys grinning at each other, one offering his hand to the other. The two talking and pointing up at the sky as if pointing out stars far, far above. The two laying side by side and quietly watching the world spin. Each scene seemed to carry with it a peacefulness, the same sort of peacefulness Gaara had started carrying inside himself the day he'd fought his friend-to-be.

Then the sand shifted and the image itself seemed brittle, as if the sand itself were hurting. Gaara had his hands spread as if asking why, but his friend looked positively feral, teeth pulled into a snarl and hands curled into fists. The scene played out like a movie, the friend jabbing fingers at Gaara accusingly until Gaara threw his hands up and left. If it ended there, Temari might've thought things would be okay, because no one fought and made up quicker than boys. But in the next scene the small sand-Gaara was handing the other boy something. Three somethings.

"Are those…?"

"Sand Village headbands, yes," Gaara answered, his eyes narrowing as the tiny sand theater collapsed into dust. "He wouldn't tell me why, but he wants to enter the upcoming Chuunin Exams as a Sand shinobi. Usually, if it were him, I'd think it was to test his strength, but…"

Gaara moved his hand again and conjured up two images of the same boy. One of them looked bright and happy, his mouth opened in a laugh with his tongue out as he flipped his middle finger. The other's face was twisted in a horrible sneer, the inviting look in his eyes replaced with a bloodlust so great Temari could almost feel it radiating from the sand. She swallowed nervously, looking from the figure back to Gaara. The cruel figure's eyes were like Gaara's before he'd made his friend, except there was more hatred than emptiness.

"That—that's how he feels about the Chuunin Exams?" Temari asked, hating the fear in her own voice but knowing it was smarter to be scared. Gaara shook his head, smashing the sand with one fist and turning to take in the view of his village.

"No. That's how he feels about the Leaf Village."

* * *

"Where's Naruto?" Itachi asked, stepping into the large cavern where most Akatsuki members were hanging out. He'd been thinking about what Sasori had said for the past three weeks, and intentionally avoiding the Akatsuki's little prodigy. Usually, Naruto would freak out when Itachi avoided him, so it was something Itachi did as little as possible. This time, when he asked, he half expected the tiny blonde to launch himself out of the shadows and wrap his arms around Itachi, complaining noisily like he usually did after an absence, but no one said a word.

"Anyone going to answer him or you all just gunna sit there with your fuckin' traps hanging open?" Hidan said loudly, as if he wasn't supposed to be one of the ones watching Naruto. Itachi took in every face in the cave (most of them were studiously painting fingernails or toenails) until everyone had paused and were looking around.

"Does anyone have an answer?" Pain asked, prompting everyone to speak at once.

"—thought Sasori was—"

"—said he had to go out to take a leak—"

"—mention it, he hasn't been back in a while—"

"—training or something—"

"—didn't think he'd actually—"

"The entire Akatsuki, some of the strongest ninjas in the world, and we can't watch one kid, hm," Deidara sighed, scratching idly at his ear. No one seemed all that upset yet; Naruto was known for his frequent disappearances to train or go visit his Sand Village friend, but Itachi felt uneasy. He narrowed his eyes, searching every face in the room, until he finally found one looking steadily back at him.

"Sasori?" he asked curiously, because out of everyone Sasori seemed the least likely to stir up trouble with Naruto. Sasori, Pain, and Itachi were the only people in the organization the boy even listened to, so it made no sense that Sasori could have anything to do with why he disappeared. Yet…

"Forgive me," Sasori said, and suddenly everyone's boredom evaporated and all eyes in the room were focused sharply on the puppet master. Even though he could get on people's nerves and he was often handed from one member to the next, Naruto's loyalty to the Akatsuki made him a favourite, and his power had earned him a ton of respect. Kisame aptly called him their mascot, and their one source of endless amusement. At one point or another, every single member had taken Naruto under their wing to teach him something.

"Where is he?" Konan asked, rising from her spot. She rarely showed much emotion or spoke, but Itachi had once seen Naruto make her laugh. It was common knowledge that he, along with Pain, was her soft spot. Of course, he was everyone's soft spot, including his distant cousin Nagato's.

"He's gotten too good at hiding his presence," Sasori said flatly, pressing a finger against his temple. "I was filling Deidara in on what was going on with Orochimaru, and he overheard."

"I understand Sasori not hearing him, because Sasori has all those creaky puppet joints, but what's wrong with Deidara? How crazy is it that he let a twelve-year-old boy sneak up on him?" Tobi asked, shaking his head regretfully. Sasori ignored Tobi, but it took Kakuzu and Hidan both to hold Deidara back while Tobi cowered.

"Never mind giving and taking blame, the problem here is what Naruto intends to do with that information," Pain's deep voice rang out, cutting the fighting off. Itachi nodded his agreement; a pit of dread had made a cold, hard lump in his stomach and it took everything he had to keep it off his face.

Naruto hated the Leaf Village, and no matter how much Itachi had gently tried to steer him away from his hate, Naruto's desire to destroy the village that had cast him out was unwavering. He wanted it crushed into the dust, smashed down, every last piece burned, and it wasn't just because of how he'd been treated when he was younger. Although Itachi made sure nothing of his reasons for slaughtering his clan got out, Naruto had somehow gotten a hint as to why the massacre took place. Further, he blamed Konoha for the death of Sasori's parents, the death of Nagato's parents, and even the death of his own parents, who had sacrificed themselves to save the village. His hatred for Konoha was so great that Itachi feared it would overcome him.

But even that hatred paled in comparison to Naruto's deep, personal hatred of Orochimaru. Itachi had just brought Naruto into the Akatsuki and Naruto was just beginning to develop bonds with all of the members when Orochimaru betrayed them and tried to take Itachi's body over. Itachi had the ability to stop him, but Naruto hadn't known that. The end result was… horrifying. To say the least. Orochimaru was injured and fled, but it hadn't been much of a victory. It had taken nearly the entire force of the Akatsuki to stop Naruto from continuing his rampage.

Itachi quickly banished the thought from his mind; dwelling on the past wouldn't help anything. What he needed to focus on now was what Naruto was planning. The Chuunin Exams were about a month away, which meant Naruto was probably getting ready to begin his travels so he could sign up and get comfortable before they started. But how could he enter without any teammates?

"Puppets," Sasori said suddenly, and for the second time that day everyone stared at him. He looked thoughtful, his fingers twitching as if just thinking about puppets made him want to play with some. "He's gotten very good with them. Even I can't see his chakra threads anymore. If he were to make a couple of human puppets and bring them with him…"

He didn't need to finish; everyone understood.

"Woah, he's gunna do the entire Chuunin Exam by himself?" Tobi asked in awe. "That's pretty cool for a twelve-year-old. Knowing him, he'll probably win too. He's much stronger than Deidara was at that age… or even stronger than Deidara is now, actually…"

While Deidara put Tobi in a choke hold, Konan spoke to Sasori, her usually unruffled expression tensing up.

"Why don't you check your collection before we get too worked up?"

It took a while, even for the Akatsuki members, to go through every single puppet Sasori had. Besides the one hundred he kept in a room to be summoned with his scrolls, there were nearly five hundred. And out of those, many were human puppets he'd collected from the time he'd wiped out an entire country.

"There are three missing," Sasori finally said. "Two human puppets and a wooden puppet Naruto was in the middle of making."

"Which two?" Tobi asked, as if it even mattered. It had taken him a while to recover from being strangled. Sasori answered him nonetheless.

"A girl and a boy. They were young, probably a couple of years older than him. I can understand them being taken if he needs companions around his age for the exam, but I don't understand why he'd take his own puppet. He can only control two right now."

"So he really is planning to do it," Konan murmured under her breath, worry creasing her brow. "Is there any way to find him?"

"In the desert, hm? Doubtful, hm."

"We don't have the time to go looking; it could take weeks to find him," Pain said, a decisive note in his voice. "For now we'll continue with our operations."

Three voices immediately raised in protest, followed by another three before the first were done. Pain raised both hands and the members grumbled back into silence.

"If he's planning to go through with this, I doubt we'll be able to stop him. The best thing to do is let him enter the Exams, and keep an eye on him there. If Orochimaru appears before him, the team I send after him can deal with it then. If not… it may prove an enlightening experience, pitting him against shinobi his age."

"And if he's recognized?" Itachi asked. His feelings were mixed; on one hand, he wanted to protect Naruto, but on the other, what if this was the thing that helped the little jinchuuriki see reason about Konoha? Naruto had a tendency to make friends wherever he went, and he was always absolutely loyal to a friend. If he made friends in the Leaf Village, maybe his desire for destruction would fade. Maybe he'd even meet Sasuke and…

"He's stupid, but not that stupid," Kakuzu piped up. "He gets hotheaded when he thinks about destroying his old village—I understand the feeling completely—but he's not as impatient and mindless as this one."

He gestured to Hidan, who glared at him, then the two started arguing, Hidan spewing a creative and numerous amount of foul profanities. Itachi ignored their arguing, only shooting Hidan a mild glare when he recognized one of the words Naruto had been using a lot recently.

"I believe you're right," Pain said, inclining his head toward Kakuzu. "So that's our move for this situation. Wait it out, and only interfere if things go bad. That way should ensure both Naruto and our organization will be satisfied."

And things might've turned out just fine, had Orochimaru not been involved.


	4. Chapter 3: Memento Mori

Team 7 stood in front the Third Hokage, waiting patiently to receive their next mission. Or at least, outwardly waiting patiently. Inside, Sakura was positively fuming and she was sure both of her teammates were as well. For the past three weeks, all they'd done was trivial D-rank missions. They'd performed each mission perfectly, working surprisingly well as teammates, but nothing about their situation had improved. Sasuke was still quiet and moody, often going off on his own as soon as the missions were over. Sai put on a nice face and was polite no matter what the situation was, but after each mission he mysteriously disappeared as well. And Kakashi… well, he was just plain frustrating, always showing up late and coming up with stupid excuses.

All of these facts combined led up to Sakura's boiling point being reached; this wasn't at all what she'd expected when she'd first decided to become a Leaf kunoichi. Kakashi wasn't even really training them, since he was too busy with his nose always stuck in that stupid pervy book of his. Really, the one who should've spoken up was Sasuke—the one who actually wanted to become super strong—but in the end it was all too much and Sakura interrupted the Third before he could give them another D-rank.

"Um, Lord Hokage?" Sakura asked as sweetly as she could, trying to stop her voice from trembling with rage. She could feel Sasuke's eyes on her, but for the first time it didn't make her squirm and blush. It should be you asking, idiot! Argh! Her inner voice spoke against Sasuke, but she wasn't as surprised as she'd expected to be. The great Sasuke Uchiha who had won her first girlish crush over was… underwhelming. Immature, stubborn, and cynical, he was pretty much the opposite of who she'd dreamt he was. Which was why…

"We've done a lot of D-rank missions, and well, I think we're ready for something a little better now, wouldn't you say? Every mission we've done has gone off without a hitch so far."

Sakura had decided to focus on becoming a better ninja before she focused on love, because now that she knew even Sasuke had his annoying traits, she couldn't imagine finding a boy her age to like. While she waited for them all to grow up, she'd hone her skills until she was proud enough to stand on equal footing with the best them. Then they'd have to earn her love. She snapped back to reality to find the Hokage giving some speech on why D-rank missions were important to the village.

"But—"

"Sakura's right, Lord Hokage. How are we supposed to improve if we continue doing missions below our skill level? We'll still do D-ranks, but there should at least be a couple higher ranks sprinkled in there."

Sakura stared at Sai in mute surprise; she figured he must've been getting annoyed too, but she hadn't expected him to support her against an authority figure.

"I agree," Sasuke said from her other side, crossing his arms and frowning at the Third in disdain. "If we have the ability to do harder missions, won't it be better to bring in more money for the village?"

The Third let out a short harrumph, reaching up to tip his hat and hide his eyes as the three young shinobi waited for an answer. Even if he said no, at least they'd tried. But instead of flat out dismissing the voices of the inexperienced genin, he seemed to consider what they said. Listening to every villager, young or old, mature or inexperienced… he sure was a good Hokage.

"If Kakashi thinks you're ready, I have a C-rank mission that nobody has taken yet."

"Yes!" Sakura yelled, while Sai grinned as if he would've been happy either way and Sasuke muttered 'Finally.'

"The mission is escorting a master bridge builder named Tazuna to the Land of the Waves. You'll be protecting him from bandits and anyone else who wishes him harm. It may seem trivial, but there's no telling who or what you could encounter along the way. The keys to this mission are being prepared and putting Tazuna's safety above everything. Do you think you can handle it?"

"I know we can, Lord Hokage," Sakura said, beaming. "Right, guys?"

"I'm honoured you listened to us," Sai said, a smidge happier than usual. Sasuke smirked, but since he rarely showed anything other than coldness Sakura counted it as a victory. Not only would she become a great kunoichi—she'd make her teammates smile, if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

As the Team 7 genin left cheering, Kakashi let out a long sigh and turned to the Hokage, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.

"I never actually agreed," he pointed out, and the Third chuckled.

"But you never raised any protest, which is as good as agreeing."

"Fair enough."

After sharing amused glances, the Third's face grew serious and he stood, lighting his pipe and striding to the window to look over his village. Kakashi waited patiently as white puffs trailed through the air, the sweet, woody scent of the pipe filling the room. The pause stretched out, and the longer it grew, the more the room filled with a tension Kakashi couldn't place. He could suddenly feel sweat gathering at the back of his neck, and he knew this was about more than just some C-rank mission.

"Kakashi, I'm going to ask you something, and I need you to answer me honestly and without questions," the Third said. A rivulet of sweat trickled from Kakashi's neck down his back, leaving a trail of cold. "If anything were to happen to me, who do you think should replace me as the Fifth?"

"Planning to retire already, old man?" Kakashi joked lightly, but the Third didn't even crack a smile. He kept his eyes on the village, looking out into some future Kakashi couldn't imagine. He couldn't understand why the Third would ask, unless the clever old man knew of some threat no one else did. That didn't make sense though, right? If the Third knew there was some threat to his life—and by extension, Konoha's life—he would've told the Anbu or the other jounins.

"You would be my first choice, Kakashi Hatake," the Third said so quietly Kakashi had to strain to hear it. Kakashi frowned, walking around the desk to stand beside the Third and look out into the village. He wondered if being Hokage made the view any different. What Kakashi saw was hundreds of his comrades milling about in their daily life, most of the children bright and whole while most of the adults were cracked and fraying at the seams. It was a strange thing to see the aftermath of a war put scars on adults and smiles on children. A feeling of protectiveness came over Kakashi, suddenly. He didn't want to see another war; he wanted the next generation to stay as joyful as they were now.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage, but I don't think I'm quite the right fit for the job," Kakashi said, equally as quiet. He wasn't even Hokage—he wasn't even responsible for the village—and he already felt guilty when his comrades were broken. Being Hokage was like making a promise that you would protect someone, but instead of protecting just one person you were promising to protect the entire village. Rin…

"Hm, I wouldn't say the fit is the problem," the Third said thoughtfully, finally turning his attention on Kakashi. "But at this point, you're needed elsewhere. Which is why I called you in to ask who your choice would be. I trust your opinion, as a student of my former student's."

"Your former student…" Kakashi repeated, and something clicked in his head.

"Do you think—"

"Even if Jiraiya could handle this much responsibility, I doubt he'd agree to it," the Third said even before Kakashi could finish his sentence. But Kakashi forged on.

"No, I realized it was a stupid thought before it could even finish forming. But what about Tsunade?"

"Tsunade…" the Third thought about it for a second, then a smile broke over his face like the sun breaking through the clouds. He let out a loud laugh, looking lovingly back out the window. "Yes, she is indeed strong. Her heart has been gravely injured, but if anyone can pull through, it's her. Thank you, Kakashi."

"It's no trouble, but I have to ask why. You don't know something, do you? Like a planned attack or an assassination attempt?"

The smoke drifted out the window, winding up and up until it was no longer visible, gone to join the clouds. Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes followed it wistfully, squinting into the sunlight.

"There's always trouble brewing beneath the surface, Kakashi. Some of it you can prepare for and some of it you can't. I'm just glad to know that whatever happens, the will of the shinobi will stay strong throughout future generations with people like you and Tsunade around."

"Don't count yourself out yet," Kakashi said, laying a hand on the old man's shoulder. "We still need you."

"Oh, I'm not counting myself out—I'll fight with everything I have as long as there's life in this old body. It's just a relief to see that what I'll eventually leave behind will be so well protected. It's the reason I can fight with all I have."

* * *

Sai watched Sasuke covertly out of the corner of his half-closed eyes, studying the boy to see what his reaction would be to the rudeness of the bridge builder they'd just met. Sasuke was a remarkably well-controlled child, and if Sai hadn't been trained in recognizing the signs of emotion, he might think Sasuke was as emotionless as him. As it were, Sasuke only glared coolly down his nose at Tazuna, refraining from engaging in the tedious argument Tazuna was having with Sakura.

"We're ninjas, not children," Sakura was trying to explain patiently, but the twitch in her left eyebrow showed she was nearly at the end of her patience. Although Sai's mission was to watch Sasuke, he couldn't help but be endlessly fascinated by Sakura's blatant display of emotion. Everything she felt was clearly displayed in her face, movements, and body language, as if she didn't care that emotions were a weakness that could be exploited. Didn't care, or didn't know. It was odd though, that despite her emotional disposition, she seemed like she could become relatively strong.

"I need real goddamn ninjas. What are you gunna do, throw sticks at bandits?" the bridge builder slurred, shaking the bottle of alcohol he held at Sakura.

"Oh, I'll show you what I can do," Sakura growled, her hands curling into fists. Sasuke watched with the slightest amount of amusement, and the fact that he didn't try to stop her said more than words could. Sai was starting to learn that a lot of Sasuke's communication came from the things he did and didn't do.

"Sakura," Sai said, stepping forward to play the peacemaker. If the mission was compromised because of her, it was likely they wouldn't get another higher ranked mission for a long time. He needed them to get higher ranked missions to observe how the young Uchiha performed—if he was really as good as the rumours said.

"You're not really planning to mess up your first C-rank mission before you've even started, are you?" a voice came from behind Sai, and he felt his heart leap into his throat for a second. It was very, very hard to catch him off guard, but Kakashi Hatake had a strange way of doing just that. Danzo had told him Kakashi was a much better ninja than he seemed, but it was hard to believe the laid-back, calm sensei could be anything more than a slacker.

"Of course not," Sakura huffed, rolling her eyes. "I was going to smash that stupid bottle of his, though. We don't need our assignment drunk and loud while we're trying to stealthily sneak him back to his village."

"Good point," Kakashi said, tilting his head at the bridge builder in a command. The man muttered an obscenity under his breath but set the bottle down with a sigh.

"Well, if Konoha really plans to take this seriously I guess I'll cut back on the drinking for a while. Still, aren't they underestimating bandits by only sending one adult?"

"Our genin are more than strong enough to deal with bandits," Kakashi informed the bridge builder as they set off for their first mission away from the Leaf. Sakura glowed at the compliment, and Sasuke seemed to stand a little straighter. Usually, when he'd seen other people get happy after being praised, Sai had thought they were odd. What did a small, insignificant bit of praise matter? But, for some reason, he felt a flicker of something he didn't recognize in his chest. Kakashi's praises were hard to come by, and getting one felt…

"You coming or what?" Sakura called, and Sai snapped out of his reverie, offering her his usual reserved smile. Except it must have seemed unusual, because Sakura tilted her finger toward Sai with an 'Aha!' Sai frowned questioningly.

"That's the second one today," Sakura laughed at his curious glance.

"Second what?" Sai asked, totally confused. Sasuke, who had dropped back a little to listen, rolled his eyes.

"Second real smile," Sasuke said. "Your other ones are creepy. If you're not happy, stop putting on that stupid cheerful face. It's annoying."

Sai froze as the other two ran ahead, lifting his hand to touch his mouth. He'd been so sure his act had been convincing—he'd smiled at all the right places, frowned when he accidentally said something considered 'rude,' and laughed at whatever dumb jokes people made—but apparently he hadn't fooled any of his teammates. It couldn't be… the whole time that he'd been watching them, had they also been watching him? Was this part of what it meant to be comrades?

"Hurry up, Sai!" Sakura yelled over her shoulder, and he shook the thoughts off. There was no need for pointless thoughts like that; he had to focus on the mission. He grinned his fake grin and followed his comrades.

* * *

Kakashi was the first to notice it, and Sai noticed only moments after. Sasuke was third, and when Sakura finally saw it after noticing the boys notice, she was pissed. How was she supposed to prove that she was an amazing kunoichi if she was the last to notice stuff like that?

The puddle would've seemed inconspicuous during a normal summer, but the last few weeks of this summer in the Leaf had been exceptionally dry. It was such an obvious ploy, but Sakura honestly wouldn't have noticed it if the first two hadn't. Luckily, she was able to be of some use, because Sasuke started to ask about it and she quickly dug her fingers tightly into his arm, shutting him up. He gave her a sour look, then narrowed his eyes as he understood; they had the advantage, knowing where their enemy was when their enemy thought it would be a surprise.

They continued on as normally as they could, with Sakura casually sidling up on Tazuna's right side while Sasuke took his left. Sai walked behind them, his shoulders drooping theatrically as if he were too tired to carry on and he simply had to remain that far back. It was so obviously fake that Sakura wanted to kick Sai, but the ninjas attacking them must've thought Sai was just a drama queen, because they both sprang at once.

Sasuke knocked Tazuna into Sakura, who spun him behind her as one of the ninjas clashed with Sai. The ringing of kunai resounded throughout the air, as Sai held one of the ninjas off. The other one leapt towards Sakura, but Sasuke was already there to catch his blade with another kunai. Both enemy ninjas cursed as they realized they hadn't caught anyone by surprise, and leapt back to stand side by side. That was when Kakashi, who had slipped into the woods, saying he needed to use the bathroom, materialized behind them and slashed at their backs. The two narrowly avoided death, earning large gouges in the process.

"Hm. Ordinary bandits wouldn't be able to get out of there that fast," Kakashi observed, tapping his chin. "You aren't genin are you? So who exactly are you?"

Both ninjas were facing Kakashi, and Sakura saw her chance. She took out one of her own kunai and raised it in front of her. She'd never killed another ninja, and she wasn't sure if she really wanted to, but if that was what the mission called for, she'd do it. She gritted her teeth, took aim, and—

"Man, and I was having such a good fuckin' sleep too," a voice suddenly said out of the trees. Everyone on the battlefield stopped. The world stopped. Time stopped. An aura of such intense malice Sakura could feel it crawling on her skin suddenly permeated the air. Hate, hate, hate. Sakura could see herself die, could feel the life slowly drain out of her as her lifeblood leaked into the dry earth. Her breath shaking, she turned her head a fraction towards where the sound had come from.

"Where are you looking?" a voice laughed right into her ear. She screamed, throwing herself back at Tazuna and dragging him away from the new arrival. Friend or foe? The new person didn't seem to be with the two trembling ninjas in the middle of the clearing, but he clearly wasn't a Leaf ninja.

Red, mussed hair stuck out at all angles over a cruel, handsome face. Burning green eyes peered out from under lazy, half-closed lids, and a wide mouth was twisted in a sardonic smirk as the kid crossed his arms and arched a brow at Sakura. Dressed in a long black cloak and a loose-fitting black fighting uniform, he looked like some sort of assassin. Sakura's entire body shook at the amount of bloodlust radiating from the kid, who couldn't have been older than fifteen or sixteen.

"Kaze Naminato," the kid said, spreading his arms wide and turning in a full circle to offer everyone a huge, toothy smile. "That's my name. Kaze—wind. Everyone will know it soon!"

"Are you here for the bridge builder?" Kakashi asked, relatively calm under the amount of pressure that was being exerted everywhere. Sai's eyes were wide open in fear, and Sasuke's grip on his kunai was white-knuckled, his gaze turned inward to some inexplicable horror. As Sakura watched, Sasuke raised the blade and she wanted to cry out. Don't throw it. Don't throw something at that monster. It'll tear you apart. But Sasuke turned his blade towards himself instead, his hands shaking. Sakura started to move, but she knew before she could take a single step that she'd be too late, and Kakashi was too far away to get there in time.

"Sasuke!" she yelled, and the full brunt of the redhead's gaze snapped to Sakura, then to Sasuke, the only person moving. Sasuke plunged the blade into his heart, and Sakura's heart stopped. Then started beating again, only quicker than it ever had. Kaze stood in front of Sasuke, holding the kunai millimetres away from Sasuke's chest. Her imagination had seen it in his heart, but reality was almost scarier.

"Hey, you…" Kaze said, narrowing his eyes and searching Sasuke's face. Sakura's eyes were riveted on the scene, but she could still see out of the corner of her eye the two enemy ninjas. With even Kakashi's attention focused on the newcomer, the two seemed to see a chance to attack Tazuna. She spun to face them just as they lunged, flipping two kunai out. She doubted she could stop them both, but she'd at least try.

Until a warm spray hit her face and she was left standing there open-mouthed. Kaze was no longer in front of Sasuke; he was now behind the two enemy ninjas, his hands awash in blood. Because they were stuck through both ninjas' bodies. He must've used chakra to strengthen his hands so he could make them strong enough to do that. It was terrifying; his green eyes vivid against the scarlet spray, the metallic tang of blood scenting the air, and the dying gasps of two ninjas who had only moments ago been fighting with all their beings. In one second, Kaze had ended them.

"You're super pretty," Kaze said, pulling his hands from the ninjas' bodies with a wet pop and reaching out towards Sakura. She flinched, letting out a low whimper, and Kaze's hand paused just above her face. He made a disgusted sound, then reached into his cloak and threw something at Sakura. She reflexively caught it. It was a handkerchief, nothing more.

"Wipe the blood off yourself then," Kaze snapped, spinning on his heel to saunter back into the clearing. Kakashi had removed the band around his one eye, and was now staring at Kaze with a scarred red eye, his stance lowered and prepared to fight.

"Are you an enemy?" Kakashi asked, and one of his hands seemed to glow a little. Kaze looked around at everyone still alive, who were watching him with terrified eyes. Sasuke seemed to have regained his composure, although he still appeared shaken. Sakura thought Kaze might've whispered something to him before killing the other two ninjas.

"Not yours. Not yet!" Kaze said brightly, smiling as if his words weren't ominous in the slightest. "Those two were trying to kill you, right? And I fuckin' saved you! So be a little more grateful! Come on, Kakashi Hatake, be grateful!"

Kakashi's stance didn't relax in the slightest, but Kaze didn't seem to care. He ignored everyone as if they'd suddenly disappeared from his sight and started to walk towards Kakashi. Kakashi's hand began to glow brighter as Kaze got closer, until Sakura could actually hear what sounded like electricity coming from it. She kept looking between Kaze and Kakashi, wondering what kind of battle it would be. Even with that weird eye power, was there any way Kakashi could beat that?

"Is that what you used to kill Rin?" Kaze asked suddenly. Sakura had no idea what he meant or who he was even talking to, but the latter became crystal clear a second later. The light faded from Kakashi's hand like a candle being snuffed out, and Kakashi seemed to lose his strength, as if he'd just realized this battle was impossible.

"How do you know about that?" Kakashi whispered, his eyes widening in shock and something else. Something soul-shattering.

"How do I know?" Kaze asked, as he reached Kakashi. Kakashi watched him, now looking more like a cornered animal than a predator ready to attack. Kaze reached out, and Kakashi didn't bother to stop him. A sudden ink animal flew from Sai's direction, and Sakura gaped as it was struck down before even reaching Kaze.

Kaze laid a hand on Kakashi's shoulder.

"The Leaf sure has a lot of secrets, doesn't it?" he asked instead of answering Kakashi's question. Then he dropped his hand from Kakashi's shoulder and continued on towards Konoha.


	5. Chapter 4: Blowing Leaf, Fanning Flame

_Sasuke Uchiha, right? I should warn you—he's coming for **you**._

Uchihas were recognizable mostly by their Sharingans. Sure, most of them had handsome features, dark hair and eyes, and a lithe build, but so did many other ninjas. In Konoha, maybe people would recognize an Uchiha because they'd seen the family around, but in other places people wouldn't know with one glance if someone was an Uchiha or not. Unless they were using the Sharingan. Which Sasuke most definitely hadn't been.

 _Sasuke Uchiha, right?_

Even though it had been a question, there had been no doubt in the stranger's oddly exuberant voice. It was clear from the moment he'd stood in front of Sasuke to stop Sasuke from stabbing himself that the stranger recognized his features. There had been a flash of recognition that the stranger hadn't even bothered to hide, and his mouth had twisted into a triumphant smile.

 _I should warn you—_

As if somehow the stranger owed him some sort of debt, knew something involving Sasuke that no one else knew. The easy familiarity he'd used suggested they'd been friends for years, but Sasuke had never heard the name 'Kaze Naminato' or seen someone with features even remotely close to the ones he'd seen today.

 _—he's coming for **you**._

The inflection didn't really make sense; who else would he be coming for? By this point, Sasuke had already decided the stranger was talking about Itachi, because all the clues were pointing to a connection with Itachi. Itachi was the only surviving Uchiha and the one Sasuke looked like, so that could be the only way Kaze had recognized him. Still… why would Itachi come now, after all these years? It didn't make sense—it wasn't like Sasuke knew anything more than he had four years ago. He grabbed one hand to keep it from shaking, wondering if this had anything to do with Naruto Uzumaki.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?" Sakura asked, her concern piercing his cloudy thoughts for a second. He shared a look with her, one which she clearly interpreted as 'not okay,' but he couldn't bring himself to lie when he was this shaken.

"I've been meaning to ask—what exactly did that Kaze person say to you?" Sai asked, his smile replaced by a fake look of worry. Sasuke gritted his teeth, but said nothing. He needed to focus on their mission now, and he'd have to decide his course of action later. Everyone on Team 7 had been silent as they'd continued escorting Tazuna, but after Kakashi finally got himself back together from what Kaze had said, he'd stopped them and asked Tazuna to tell the truth. The truth was, this mission wasn't a C-rank after all. It was a B-rank, maybe even an A-rank. This was Sasuke's chance to finally prove himself, prove that he was strong enough to take on Itachi.

But his confidence was shot. It had been years since he'd felt such a strong aura of malice, and it seemed he'd forgotten just how terrifying it could be. Kaze looked only slightly older than him, which made him younger than Itachi. If he knew Itachi, did that mean Sasuke's brother was at that level or higher? Sasuke couldn't imagine defeating someone on that level the way he was now. It was impossible; he needed to get stronger, way stronger.

"Well, if you won't answer, at least Kakashi will, right? Sensei, was what it he said to you? I mean, when he said something and you looked like a terrified rabbit about to be eaten by a wolf."

Sakura's fist was in Sai's face before he could finish saying 'wolf,' and Sai looked shocked as he stumbled back and fell. He frowned up at Sakura, whose face a mask of rage.

"Making fun of people for being scared when you yourself were shaking," Sakura growled. "You're a real piece of work."

"It's fine, Sakura," Kakashi sighed. "It just hit an old nerve I thought I'd gotten rid of a long time ago. It was strange hearing it from someone so young, but I should've been prepared."

No one spoke into the silence after that, and Sasuke decided not to point out that Kakashi still hadn't answered Sai's question. It seemed Team 7 had a lot of secrets between them. He doubted they'd ever be able to work efficiently together if things stayed like this.

"White rabbit?" Sai suddenly said, and everyone paused to watch a white rabbit hop across their path. Kakashi's eyes narrowed, and then he grabbed the band over his eye.

* * *

"Lord Hokage, you called?" Yugao, head of the Anbu Black Ops, asked. She was young, but incredibly strong, and Sarutobi could still remember when he'd chosen her. She'd accepted it without happiness or anger; only a cool, efficient indifference. People had whispered behind her back that she was like a machine, but Sarutobi had seen the potential for so much more. Now, she had more than grown into the potential Sarutobi had seen, thanks to her lover, Hayate. Although the personalities were different, Sarutobi couldn't help but think of Minato and Kushina. Like the Fourth and his wife, Hayate and Yugao brought out the best in each other.

"How's Hayate holding up? Is he able to do his duties as a Chuunin Exam instructor?" Sarutobi asked for preamble. He'd been chastised by Danzo and the Council for being too soft on the Anbu, who thought the elite ninjas should be treated like tools, but he couldn't help having a soft spot for them. He'd watched them all grow and handpicked them to become Anbu members, so he knew each one of them on a personal level.

Yugao's usually blank eyes softened and she smiled in appreciation at Sarutobi's concern.

"He's doing fine; he's happy you're letting him help. He may seem soft, but he's almost as stubborn as I am, and I doubt he would've been satisfied just resting. He's bound and determined not to let this sickness get the best of him or prevent him from doing his duties for Konoha."

 _Ah, there are so many fine shinobi in the Leaf,_ Sarutobi thought happily as he chuckled. He wished he didn't have to be the bearer of bad news.

"I'm glad. He's a good man, and I'm sure the two of you have a bright future ahead of you."

After chatting amicably for a few more minutes, Sarutobi got around to the point of why he'd called Yugao in. Her smile faded as she listened, and her body tensed up. He could see the desire to protest in every rigid muscle, but he knew she was one of the only ones who wouldn't. She was loyal to a fault, and she could see the wisdom in Sarutobi's plan, even if she didn't want to have to carry it out.

"Do you understand?" Sarutobi asked when he'd finished telling her the details. She pressed her lips together, a finger tracing the Anbu mask she always kept at her waist when it wasn't on her face. She definitely wasn't happy.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," she ground out stiffly, and for a second Sarutobi could see the young girl she'd once been; headstrong and arguing with every little thing. He smiled and moved around the desk to stand beside her, laying a warm hand on her arm. She wasn't angry with him for asking, but she was immensely sad.

"I asked you because I know you'll put the Leaf ahead of even me," Sarutobi told her gently. "But I don't want you to feel guilty because you could've done something. You've done everything you could, so hold your head high like the splendid shinobi you are. The will of fire runs strong through you and Hayate. I entrust the future to you."

Yugao reached up and quickly swiped at her eyes. Anbu Black Ops were dedicated to the village and the village alone; they weren't supposed to have an attachment to any one Hokage. Yugao's situation as the head of the Anbu didn't change that—in fact, in her situation that rule should've been stronger for her than anyone. Yet the kind heart nobody believed she had showed in moments like this, and Sarutobi was once again proud he'd made the right choice.

"I won't let you down," Yugao vowed, and now that he'd spoken to her and Kakashi, Sarutobi's plans were complete.

* * *

The fight with Zabuza was terrifying, tense, and strangely exhilarating. For the first time, the genin of Team 7 saw what their sensei was capable of, and it was beyond what they'd expected. In the end, Kakashi still ended up trapped, but Sakura was beyond proud at everyone's reactions. When Sakura and Tazuna refused to run, Sasuke also vowed to stand his ground and Sai nodded in agreement.

Even if they died, none of them would go down without a fight. Sai pulled two scrolls from his pouch and held them out, distracting Zabuza's attention long enough for Sasuke to make a move. He was so quick Sakura barely saw him, and even after he'd moved it took a second for Sakura to realize what he'd done. There was a soft clank in the air as two kunai hit each other above Zabuza's head and each kunai was directed towards one of the Zabuzas near them. Both clone and the real one dodged, but by that time Sai had already summoned four large ink beasts. They all lunged towards the clone at the exact same time he attempted to dodge the kunai, and boxed in as he was, he ended up struck. As the clone disappeared in a splash of water, Sakura allowed herself a small moment of giddy happiness.

"I'm impressed you managed to take out my clone, but don't think the real me will be that easy," Zabuza laughed. Sasuke and Sai exchanged a wordless glance, then moved away from each other so they could attack separately.

"If your clone was any reflection of your own power, I don't think we have too much to worry about, do we?" Sai asked with a smile that was purposefully fake-looking. Zabuza glowered dangerously, but with one of his hands occupied he couldn't do jutsus as fast. As one, Sai and Sasuke leapt towards Zabuza with handfuls of shuriken. Zabuza rolled his eyes, snagging one of them from the air and using it to block the others.

Sakura could see what Sai and Sasuke were planning—even though Zabuza had managed to stop all the shurikens, he'd be distracted, so if they both attacked there was no way for him to stop them one-handed. It would've been a good plan against a normal enemy, but Zabuza had power beyond that of a normal enemy. Sakura could see in the slight shift of his stance that his eyes had been tracking her teammates the whole time, and he was planning something to damage them both before they could hit him. Only, Sai and Sasuke had already leapt for Zabuza and couldn't change their course now.

"Tazuna," Sakura said quietly, casting a quick glance over her shoulder at the surly bridge builder. "If we can't save Kakashi, we'll all die here anyway. Do you mind if I help my teammates?"

"Do what you have to," Tazuna said, giving her a solemn nod. She whipped her head away from him and ran towards the battle as quickly and stealthily as she could, pulling some wire from her ninja tool pouch as she did. Zabuza spun to kick Sai with one foot, his hand darting for Sasuke's throat. The two genin just managed to get out of the way, but the flow of the battle had been completely interrupted into Zabuza's favour.

Until the two kunai Sakura had thrown when Zabuza was distracted made the Hidden Mist shinobi have to dodge, leaving him open to an attack from Sai, who was at his back. Sai used three more ink beasts and Sasuke jumped again, but Zabuza had managed to snag a second shuriken. He moved to throw them both at Sasuke, which would take care of the young Uchiha so he could go after Sai's ink beasts.

"No!" Kakashi yelled, clearly horrified at what was about to take place, but Sakura wasn't done yet. She pulled her hands back and a cut appeared on Zabuza's face. His mouth opened to say something, but he was cut off as the two kunai Sakura had thrown came back towards him, pulled by the wire Sakura had attached them to before she'd thrown them. Zabuza had only three choices; let the kunai hit him, dodge into either Sasuke or Sai's attack one handed, or let go of Kakashi and jump up. He chose the third with a curse, releasing Kakashi from the water prison as he leapt up to dodge the three separate attacks coordinated at him.

Sasuke fell into the water right where Zabuza had been a second before, his eyes sparkling ferociously. Sai gave one of his rare real smiles, and Sakura allowed herself another moment of pride before running back to stand in front of Tazuna.

"I'm impressed," Tazuna said as the fight between Kakashi and Zabuza picked up where it had left off, only this time with Kakashi taking the leading rhythm.

"We're more than just children," Sakura said, never taking her eyes off the battle in front of her in case she was called on to help again. "We're shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Don't underestimate us."

* * *

The battle culminated rather disappointingly in Sasuke's opinion, but it was probably for the best that one of the Hidden Mist's own villagers took the monster Zabuza down. Either way, Zabuza had been cornered in the end by Kakashi's clever use of the Sharingan. Sasuke still wondered about that—there was only one way to get a Sharingan if you weren't an Uchiha. He wondered if it had anything to do with the person Kaze had mentioned. Rin. Before the fight, he'd wanted to ask Kakashi about it, after seeing Kakashi's Sharingan when Kakashi had looked at Kaze. Now, inexplicably, his desire to question his teacher had diminished. Somehow, Sasuke felt like he'd come to trust his team more after the last battle.

It was a relief to finally reach the Land of the Waves, after so many days of tense travels and battling. They'd all collapsed into bed after helping Kakashi into his own room, and the next day Kakashi had explained his suspicions that Zabuza might still be alive. Refreshed from their stay, Sasuke, Sai, and Sakura were now standing in front of Kakashi, who had decided to teach them chakra control in case Zabuza came back.

"Like this?" Sai asked, and Sasuke was beyond annoyed to watch his fellow genin stride up to a tree and walk up it with ease. Sai was shockingly good at it, as if he'd had training before. At least him and Sakura were in the same boat, Sasuke thought to himself. She'd proven to be useful in battle, but there was no way she'd get the hang of this so—

"Come on, Kakashi, teach us something harder," Sakura said, already dangling her feet over a branch. Sasuke could feel his eye twitching as his teammates turned to him as if expecting it to be as easy for him as it was for them. Well, why shouldn't it be? He approached the largest tree and built up the chakra in his feet the way Kakashi had taught them. Then he tried to casually stride up the tree the way Sai had. It didn't work out so well.

"That was the most pathetic attempt at chakra control I've ever seen," Sai said with a grin, and Sakura covered her mouth as if holding in a laugh. Sasuke picked himself up from the ground, brushing himself off, his face hot.

"I'll let you figure this one out on your own," Kakashi said with a smile, and Sai flipped out of the tree to land gracefully beside their sensei.

"Well, I don't believe I need anymore training in chakra control. I think I'll take a look around the village," Sai said, and left with Kakashi. Sakura stayed a bit longer as if to take the sting out of Sasuke being the only one who couldn't get it, but after a while it was just annoying to watch her control her chakra with such ease. Sasuke wanted to ask her advice, but his pride didn't let him, even after she offered it. Eventually, he got so angry he told her to go away, and she offered him an apologetic shrug before leaving.

For the rest of the day, Sasuke pushed himself the way he always did. Although the technique itself didn't use much chakra, constantly using it over time drained enough chakra for Sasuke to notice. He could get halfway up the tree by the end of the day, but it was still nothing compared to the ease with which Sai and Sakura had mastered the technique. He bent over double, drawing in deep breaths as sweat dripped from the tip of his nose. He'd train all night if he had to. He would allow himself one break now to cool off and wash the sweat away, but after that he'd stay out until the sun rose.

Coming out here earlier in the day, Team 7 had passed a small fresh water lake, so Sasuke decided that was where he'd break. He stumbled towards where he'd seen it, lightheaded from lack of chakra and dehydration. When he finally reached the lake, he collapsed beside it and dunked his entire head in to drink. It was cool and refreshing, clearing his mind long enough for him to realize he should've taken a breather a few hours ago and brought some water along.

"This sucks," he muttered to himself, splashing his face and scrubbing the sweat and grime from it. If anyone asked later, his distraction with the state he was in and his fatigue were the reasons he didn't immediately register another presence. After he'd cleaned his face long enough and was about to begin his arms, he finally looked up to see someone else at the lake. Someone who noticed him at almost the exact same instant.

Black eyes met blue just as the wind picked up, ruffling obsidian spikes at the same time it ruffled blonde ones. It made ripples across the smooth lake, which were disturbed only when they touched the thighs of the figure standing stark naked on the shore opposite Sasuke. The figure tilted his head to one side curiously, droplets of water falling from golden lashes and landing on his cheekbones, where they trailed down his cheeks past strange markings.

"Hey, you…" the figure said, as Sasuke gaped, taking in short, graceful curves of toned muscle. Whoever this guy was, he pushed his body even further than Sasuke did. He was all hard angles and sharp definitions, with the slightest hint of baby fat beginning to edge off his face. A face that was frowning at Sasuke with a thoughtful interest, watching Sasuke watch him. Sasuke felt heat rise into his cheeks as he realized he'd just been studying a completely naked stranger.

"Hey, you…" the figure said again, his frown deepening into a scowl. "Where are you looking?"


	6. Chapter 5: Bonds

Sasori of the Red Sand hated to be kept waiting. He always showed up precisely half an hour before the scheduled meeting time to avoid keeping whoever he was meeting with waiting, and if someone was more than a few minutes late he'd leave. Naruto had found that out the hard way on more than a few occasions, when Sasori had promised him training but Naruto had shown up late. It went to show that whoever knew him well knew not to keep him waiting, and the person he was meeting with today knew him better than anyone.

She came shuffling over the hot sand in that old-frail-woman shuffle she could pull off better than women who were actually decrepit. Her face was spotted and wrinkled with age, and her hair had faded into a lighter of shade gray, but there was no hiding the craftiness of her eyes. Age may have dulled her appearance, but it certainly hadn't dulled her mind.

"Sasori," she breathed out as she came to stand within a few feet of him. "I'm here."

Her voice said more than words could, and Sasori had to look away for a second. _I'm here_ meant she'd shown up fifteen minutes early because she knew he'd spent his whole life waiting and he couldn't bear to wait for anyone else. _I'm here_ meant she had come specifically for him, and she was there for him even if no one else was. _I'm here_ was a lie, because if she'd really been there for him she would've given him what he needed all those years ago—closure.

"So I see," Sasori said coolly, glad for the puppet body that didn't betray him the way a real body did. There were no sweats, trembles, or tears; there was only a quietness where once his body had been a noisy machine. He wasn't human, so he felt nothing.

"Every time I see you," Chiyo began, her eyes tearing up. "Every time, I can barely believe you're real, that you actually came back to me."

"I didn't come back to you," Sasori said disdainfully, turning his nose up at her. "I came back for the medicine. The fact that you and I no longer share a bond hasn't changed."

Chiyo opened her mouth as if to protest, then let out a long, world-weary sigh, bowing her head.

"I can understand if you can't forgive me, Sasori," she murmured. "You have every right to be angry with this old woman. I'm only happy you've found friends you're willing to talk to me for. As a child, you never had anyone besides your puppets. The fact that you've found human friends—"

"I don't need your monologue on my life, old lady," Sasori interrupted smoothly. "I've got places to be, people I don't want to keep waiting. Do you have the medicine or not?"

Chiyo took a vial that matched the one Itachi had emptied from the sleeve of her cloak, looking sadly at the potent liquid within. It was never a big vial and the amount in it was always the same, but lately it had been getting darker and darker. Sasori accepted the vial without comment, but the ghost of a grimace crossed his face.

"To take something this potent, I'd estimate your friend has a few years at best—and that's without exertion," Chiyo said. She hesitated, then added, "It's not that boy I healed a few years ago, is it?"

"No," Sasori said shortly, tucking the vial into his own sleeve and turning to leave. He liked to keep visits with his grandmother to a minimum, because she always seemed to have some clever remark for him about how he was making a mistake with his life. He was almost waiting for her to try and get the last word in as his sandals ate up the scorching sand. She did, but her words were most unexpected.

"No matter who it is, if they're important to you, I'll do anything in my power to help them," Chiyo said to his back. Her voice carried a grave weight to it, and Sasori froze. "Ask me, Sasori."

Sasori knew what she meant when she said anything in her power. She'd discovered a new jutsu, a jutsu that could trade one life for another. The fact that she was willing to use it, to go so far for him… it angered him beyond belief. Ask her? The notion was absolutely ridiculous, to put himself into the old lady's debt again. Likely she wanted him to ask so she could trap him in some sort of deal that would benefit her own agenda.

"You must think I'm truly an idiot," Sasori laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Ask you for help? You want me to bow my head to you like some sort of subservient little boy? Ridiculous. Listen well, old woman; I will never, ever bow my head to you, as long as I live. Forget who you think I am, because that boy is gone. I am Sasori of the Red Sand, and I bow to no one."

Before she could get another word in, Sasori spun and strode away, black and red cloak billowing behind him. He didn't see Chiyo's wistful, miserable look at his back, or the tears that streaked down her age-ridden face.

* * *

On Tazuna's deck, Sakura could barely sit still waiting for Sasuke to get back from the arduous amount of training he was putting in. Her girlish crush had faded, but now she was worried as a teammate who had just put her life on the line side by side with him. She paced back and forth across the deck like a caged tiger, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"When he gets back, I'm gunna kill him for making me worry," Sakura snarled, resisting the urge to punch something. She wanted to go check on him, but Kakashi had advised against it and she knew her worry wouldn't be welcome.

"That's rather counterproductive," Sai said from beside her, where he sat inking monsters back into the scrolls he'd used up. He'd been fairly silent for most of the day, and seemed more absorbed in his painting now that Sasuke wasn't around for him to watch. Since she'd started paying more attention to people other than Sasuke, Sakura had noticed that Sai watched Sasuke a lot. She'd at first wondered if it was some sort of boy-crush-rivalry thing, but Sai always grew absolutely still when watching Sasuke, as if he were a predator studying a prey's habits. It was insanely creepy.

"It's a figure of speech," Sakura muttered, squinting down at Sai suspiciously. "But most people would know that. I don't think I ever asked you this before, but maybe I should've. Sai… where did you come from?"

Sai paused from his painting, his brush hovering just above the scroll.

"Oh, so you've noticed, have you? That I don't have parents and a normal home like other kids? Actually, I'm not surprised it took you this long—you're always too busy watching Sasuke to notice anyone else."

Sakura had to take several deep breaths to calm down and remind herself that Sai actually didn't seem to realize the things he said were rude. She let what he said slip by, then stopped her pacing to take a seat beside him, studying him closely. Everything about him seemed so put-on, like everything from his mannerisms to his emotional responses had been drilled into his body. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was a robot or something equally as soulless. The only thing that kept her from thinking that way was the way he painted. If there was no soul in his expression, there was at least some passion in his painting.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Sakura asked as Sai kept painting. He reached up to push a lock of hair from his face, smudging ink across his nose. It was such an absentminded gesture that Sakura had to laugh, and Sai paused in his painting to look at her with mild surprise.

"You smudged ink on your nose," Sakura said, reaching into her pouch to pull out a handkerchief. Before he could ask what she meant to do with it, she reached up and wiped the ink from his nose gently, shaking her head playfully. Sai's mild surprise turned into real surprise as she tucked her handkerchief away.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as if he didn't understand. "Have you fallen in love with me now that you're over Sasuke?"

There was a long pause, then the sound of gurgled screams could be heard as Sakura put Sai in a stranglehold. After a brief struggle, Sai gave up, slumping, and Sakura released him with a snort. As he recovered, he was silent, but Sakura could still see that he didn't understand. She sighed, crossing her arms.

"Sai, have you ever had a friend?" Sakura asked. He blinked, then his eyes grew unfocused for a second, as if remembering something he'd forgotten long ago. She wondered if he understood finally, but then his eyes came back and he shook his head, troubled. It was the first time she'd seen him think so hard about something without offering empty words and a false smile. Seeing him actually try gave her real hope.

"Well, you're going to have two now. I don't care what Sasuke says—the three of us are teammates, and if we're going to be risking our lives for each other, we should be friends."

"But won't friendship interfere with our mission?" Sai asked, genuinely puzzled. "If we're emotionally attached to each other, we could end up making bad decisions based on our feelings. For example, if we had to choose between saving the village or saving a friend, it could lead to us making the wrong decision based on emotion instead of logic."

It was the longest true conversation Sakura had ever had with Sai, and she had to admit that she was disgusted. She couldn't understand how anyone could think like that; as if having emotions and bonds made a person weak. She certainly didn't agree, although she finally felt like she understood Sai a little better.

"You're wrong," Sakura said, and before Sai could protest, she forged on. "Bonds don't make people weak—they make people stronger than ever. If someone was put in a situation like that, I think their bond would make them strong enough to save the village and their friend. When you have someone you care about, you can go beyond your normal limits."

"That makes no sense," Sai sighed. "There's no way that's true. You just haven't been on enough missions to see how wrong that is."

"And you have?" Sakura challenged, standing up and stretching. "I don't know what you grew up on, but I grew up on stories about the strongest, most incredible ninjas in history. Do you know what they all have in common? Bonds. Friends who they've endured things beyond human capacity for. I think if we live long enough, my point will prove itself."

"That's—"

"We've only been here one day, and you're already arguing? God, you're both annoying."

A familiar voice cut through Sakura and Sai's discussion, and Sakura felt her heart lighten in relief as Sasuke made his way over to them, his hands in his pockets, with a self-satisfied smirk. Everything was as it should be now, except…

"Here I thought you were training, and it turns out all this time you've been swimming," Sai chuckled. It was true—Sasuke was completely soaked, damp hair shoved back messily and water dripping from every crease in his clothes. It looked oddly like he'd tried to take a bath with his clothes on, and Sakura wondered if he'd finally completely lost it. But his smirk never faded at Sai's comment, and he shrugged noncommittally.

"You're right, I did do a little swimming. You should try it sometime. It's… enlightening," Sasuke said, a low laugh escaping his lips as if he were making a joke. Sakura didn't get it—was this the same boy she'd left frustrated at the base of a tree earlier today? His confidence and dignity levels had been completely restored, as if he'd somehow discovered something incredible about himself. Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion and Sai did the same, but Sasuke shrugged their looks off and went inside.

"We need to find out what happened," Sai said quietly, his eyes tracking Sasuke's dripping form into the house. Sakura found herself nodding along, then had to hold back a small laugh. Her and Sai were now conspiring together while Sasuke was keeping some mysterious secret to himself. What was the world coming to?

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke woke earlier than everyone else to silently slip out of the house. He pictured in his mind the way Kakashi had taken them to get to the trees, then followed it as close as he could. His feet crunched over dry twigs and leaves as he walked, scaring animals away. The loud cracking soon became the only thing he could hear as even the birds fell silent, wondering if chirping would get them eaten. He paused, waiting for the wildlife to begin making sounds again, but it remained strangely quiet. It had been like this during his training yesterday—quiet. He wondered if it had anything to do with him.

He was the boy Sasuke had met at the lake yesterday, who'd glared him down until Sasuke had finally shaken his head, unable to find anything to say. Luckily, the stranger hadn't actually been too mad; he'd laughed and told Sasuke afterwards that he was joking. Then he'd asked excitedly what Sasuke was doing, if he was training, what kind of training he was doing. He'd asked a lot of other rapid-fire questions too, but those three were the only ones Sasuke managed to answer.

"Huh? Climbing trees using chakra control?" the kid had asked, wrinkling his nose as if Sasuke had just suggested he was learning how to skin cats or something equally as offensive. "Boring. That's boring as hell, I gotta tell you. But hey, listen, there is something interesting you can do with chakra control!"

Sasuke had politely—or maybe not so politely—asked the kid to put some clothes on first, because the funny-looking seal on the kid's stomach was exceptionally distracting. After dressing in front of Sasuke completely shamelessly, the kid had demonstrated the interesting technique he was talking about. Actually, it was something Sasuke had seen when Kakashi had fought Zabuza, but he hadn't really thought about it until then. It was walking on water.

After seeing that, Sasuke had to learn it, and he'd spent the entire day being trained by someone who was probably his age. He didn't even know the kid's name; he'd asked but the kid had said it was a secret. By the end of the day, his head was spinning with the knowledge and tips he'd learned, and they'd agreed to meet back at the lake to continue the training later.

Now he was approaching the lake, but it turned out his new trainer wasn't alone. Crouched beside him was a girl prettier than any of the women Sasuke had seen in the Leaf Village, her head cocked to one side as she spoke. Usually, Sasuke had more morals when it came to eavesdropping, but he couldn't help but be curious about the scene in front of him. He knew next to nothing about the kid who was teaching him, and maybe this would help him learn something. He concealed his presence and crept up to a large oak near the lake, listening intently.

"I see. That's quite an interesting dream. And do you have anyone who's precious to you?" the girl was asking, her lips parted curiously. Sasuke's trainer grew solemn, nodding.

"Of course," he said, blue eyes bright with an emotion Sasuke couldn't place. "I have more than one person."

"Can I ask you something strange, then?" the girl asked, conflict written on her features. "Would you kill for them?"

"I would die for them," the kid answered hesitantly. "But that's not what you're asking, is it?"

The girl shook her head, leaning forward as if hanging on the kid's every word. The kid reached out and tugged a handful of grass from the ground near him, opening his palm and looking at the fresh green blades.

"When there's no other choice, I'll do what they need me to do," the kid whispered. Only the absence of any animal sounds allowed it to carry to where Sasuke sat. The kid's words made Sasuke stiffen up. He hadn't said if, he'd said when. It was like he expected to be asked to kill for the people he loved. Sasuke couldn't imagine anyone asking someone they loved to kill someone else, knowing it would hurt the person who loved them.

"Only what they need you to do?" the girl asked, and Sasuke cursed himself for his vantage point; he could only see his trainer's back so he couldn't make out his expression. Whatever it was, it seemed to be the correct answer, because the girl nodded as if she understood then turned to go. Halfway toward the trees, she turned and smiled as if amused.

"By the way… I'm a boy," she—he said, and Sasuke's blonde trainer made a shocked sound. Sasuke himself stared, wondering how it was possible for a boy to be that pretty. If that boy was in a lineup of girls, Sasuke would sooner guess that Sakura was a boy than the raven-haired beauty. He shook his head; some things were beyond his comprehension.

When the boy finally left, Sasuke waited another few minutes before leaving the tree and revealing his presence. His trainer turned, giving a huge, overenthusiastic wave. It was kind of unusual, the fact that Sasuke didn't find his trainer as annoying as other people who were that eager. Maybe it was because Sasuke could see a darkness lurking deep in those light eyes, and he couldn't help but admire how easy the blonde made happiness look.

"Sasuke, you actually showed up! Ahh, I can't believe it, I'm so excited I get to train with you again! I usually don't train with people my age, especially—"

There it was again. The kid started these crazy rants about he was so glad he could work with Sasuke, but he seemed to be holding back something he wanted to say. He'd pause, his smile frozen on his face, and the eyes that usually resembled the overhead clear sky suddenly looked like hard bits of sapphire.

"Well, anyway," the kid said, losing some of his exuberance. "Let's get started already."

They spent the rest of the morning together, the blonde demonstrating his own technique and letting Sasuke practice. He wasn't the greatest teacher in the world—when explaining things, he'd make a lot of hand movements and weird sounds, but he didn't seem to know half of the words involved with the technique he was teaching Sasuke. Still, he knew chakra control. By midafternoon, Sasuke was walking on water, albeit wobbly.

"Told you you'd have it by lunchtime," the kid said proudly, as if he was the one who had just accomplished something.

"Shut up with your predictions," Sasuke muttered, but there was no bite to it. The technique he'd mastered because of this kid was a hundred times more advanced than the easy tree climbing Kakashi had shown Sakura and Sai. In fact, after he'd mastered staying upright while the water lapped at his ankles, his trainer had told him to go ahead and try the tree technique once. Sasuke had been skeptical, but he'd tried it. And found that it was just as basic and boring as his instructor had been saying all along.

"If you learn to control it really well, you can use it in different parts of your body to make them stronger, too," his trainer told him. "Eventually, you can even do something like…"

The tiny blonde focused on his fist, staring at it intensely as if waiting for something to happen. Sasuke didn't notice any visible changes, but when the kid punched one of the massive oaks near the lake he made a hole nearly big enough for Sasuke to crawl into. Sasuke gaped at the hole, looking from it to the little grinning kid and back again.

"Some people can take down the entire tree, but for me it's impossible," the kid said, letting out a huge sigh and spreading his arms, falling onto his back to look up at the sky. "I have too much chakra to ever really master it that tiny. I don't think I'll be able to control more than two puppets, too."

"Puppets?" Sasuke asked, taking a seat beside his trainer after a moment's hesitation. They'd kept a relatively businesslike tone the entire time they'd been training, trading only light banter and every now then. Still, Sasuke couldn't help but admire the person laying beside him, who had somehow managed to gain strength beyond his years. Sasuke had asked how he'd been able to do that, too, but the kid had shaken his head and held a finger up to his lips.

"What's with your nails and hands, anyway?" Sasuke asked, finally remembering the question that had been bugging him all day. The kid blinked as if he'd forgotten there was anything off about them, then flipped his hand over and held it out to the sky, looking at the back of it.

"Where I live, we all paint our nails different," the kid said, his gaze going far away. "We do a lot of missions, so if anything ever happens and one of us is… well, if the only thing we find is an arm or hand, we'll be able to identify who it belonged to."

Sasuke wondered if it was supposed to be a joke, but the kid wasn't laughing.

"And I wrap my hands up because I break my fingers a lot. If I train too much…" he shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, and Sasuke had to wonder if this was what true strength looked like. Someone who went prepared with a way to be identified by their comrades because they walked hand-in-hand with death, someone who trained until pieces of their body were broken. If so, Sasuke definitely wasn't doing it right.

"You're so far beyond me even though you're a total idiot," Sasuke breathed, gingerly easing himself until he was laying beside the kid. He studied the sky, watching clouds drift lazily across the blue, marring it only for a second before they moved on. "How is it possible to be so strong?"

"How do you think?" the kid asked, putting his hand down and closing his eyes. Now that he wasn't looking at Sasuke, Sasuke could look at him. He studied the kid's face, noting tension and lines of grief in the places most kids had lines of happiness and relaxation. Behind his lids, his eyes were moving as if watching a scene, and despite being as strong as he was, there was something about him that looked… delicate. As if he were carrying a burden that was nearly breaking him.

"Hatred," Sasuke said. "Revenge, things like that."

Blue eyes snapped open and met Sasuke's to glare at him. The kid sat up, crossing his arms, and after a moment, Sasuke followed suit, wondering what he'd said that was wrong.

"The answer is C, none of the above," the kid said sullenly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Sasuke mocked, one because his trainer was easy to make of fun, and two because talking about such a heavy topic with someone who was basically a stranger was beginning to feel awkward.

"Agh, this is serious, though!" his trainer yelled, digging his fingers into his golden locks and pouting. "If you think that's how to get strong, you'll never, ever become stronger! Don't you get it?"

"What I don't get it is the fact that there's something you get that I don't," Sasuke muttered.

"I… I don't get what you mean," his trainer said, looking between both hands and muttering Sasuke's sentence to himself, counting something off his fingers. Making this idiot so powerful must've been the universe's idea of a joke.

"Anyway! What I'm trying to say is that it's the opposite. What makes you strong isn't hatred or revenge. It's love. If you have someone or something you want to protect, it forces you to be better. I'm this good because every time I think of something happening to my important people, I have to work harder. Every time a finger breaks, I think it's a small sacrifice compared to one of them getting hurt. Every time I think I'm going to die, I think 'at least it's me and not them.' Without them, I would've given up a long, long time ago!"

At the words, something inside of Sasuke came to stuttering halt. He'd been training the entire time for the sole purpose of besting Itachi, but what if he'd had to train with an entire world of dangers in mind? What if he'd had to train thinking that someday he'd need to fight Zabuza, Kaze, or even someone as strong as the Third because someone that strong could be a threat to someone he cared about? Would he have changed his training because of that?

The overwhelming answer that came to him was yes. Everything he did, he did because he could use it against Itachi. He disregarded anything he thought Itachi would be able to repel, with the Sharingan or one of his other Uchiha techniques. He had closed hundreds of paths for the sole reason of killing his brother, but what if he'd pursued them all in case he needed to use them against someone else?

"Do you have any important people?" his trainer asked, oblivious to his inner turmoil.

From what felt like a very far place, Sasuke said, "No."

He had Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi, but right then they weren't so important that he'd dedicate his life to finding ways to protect them. He knew now that he'd made a mistake. If he trained only to kill Itachi, he'd never become strong enough to overcome the hurdles of even getting to his brother.

"Then…" a voice from far away said. "Pretend it's me."

Sasuke came back to himself all at once, focusing on his trainer's voice as if it were an anchor. The kid had his arms wrapped around his knees, looking out over the water, his painted nails tapping against the rough fabric of his dark pants.

"What?" Sasuke asked, not quite sure he'd heard right.

"Until you find someone important to you, pretend I'm your important person."

Sasuke couldn't comprehend what that was supposed to mean. Pretend this kid he barely knew was someone important enough to live for?

"If you do, I guarantee you'll get strong," his trainer told him, standing up and brushing loose grass from his pants. "Because you have to be stronger than your important person if you wanna protect them, right?"

"Or I could just make you my rival," Sasuke pointed out, and his trainer tripped and fell on his face in shock.

"I—I didn't think of that," the kid spoke into the ground, banging his forehead in the dirt. "It's so obvious too. Shitfuck."

In spite of himself, Sasuke couldn't help a snort of laughter from making its way out of his mouth. It was so funny, that this kid seemed so innocent and naïve when it came to certain things, but swore all the time. And most of the curse words didn't even make sense—they were combinations of curse words. Yeah, Sasuke felt like he'd be able to surpass this idiot eventually.

"W-well," the kid said, finally dragging himself from the ground and trying to pick his dignity up. "I have to go, but I'm sure we'll meet again. I mean, you're from Konoha and I'm visiting there, so…"

"If you're visiting Konoha, why are you in the Land of the Waves?" Sasuke asked, now completely baffled.

"Huh? The Land of Who? Aren't I just outside of Konoha?"

"Just outside?" Sasuke choked. "Where do you think you are? You're a five days' walk from the village, idiot! Across the sea! Did you not notice yourself crossing the sea?"

"F-five days… Five days?! No way! I mean, I know I wasn't paying close attention but there's no way I got that turned around! I was only an hour away a few days ago! How—Ahh! Fuckdamn!"

After letting out a scream, Sasuke's mysterious trainer turned and ran into the woods without so much as a goodbye. Sasuke frowned after him, then pressed the heel of his hand into his mouth. It wasn't much help though—the laugh bubbled up from the depths of his stomach and started coming out his nose until he removed his hand and had to lay there laughing, helplessly clutching his sides every time he remembered the utterly stunned look on the blonde kid's face.


	7. Chapter 6: To Complete the Mission

"Gaara," a voice came out of the shadows, and for one hopeful second he thought maybe Naruto had come back to return the headbands and decide not to go to Konoha after all. Instead, the person who had spoken was none other than the Fourth Kazekage—Gaara's father. Turning from his usual view of the Sand Village on the roof, Gaara faced his father with crossed arms.

He was never quite sure where he stood with Rasa now that he'd gotten Shukaku under control. For the longest time, Rasa had sent assassins after him to try and eliminate him for accidentally unleashing the One-Tails. The thought of Yashamaru was still like a physical ache, made more bearable but not lessened. After all of the bloody history between them, it was odd that he and his father were able to talk casually like this.

"What is it, Father?" Gaara asked, respectful but wary. He couldn't stop himself from hating the man a little, even though he knew hate wouldn't lead to anything good. Naruto's strength from their first and final battle flashed through his mind, and he could still remember every word they'd spoken together that night.

 _Sometimes we have to fight to end fighting, you know? But fighting like ours, between people who understand the same pain, it leads to us understanding each other. That's why fighting to end fighting, and hating to end hate is the only time we should do those things. That, and whenever we need to fight or hate to save our loved ones. Any other time… I mean, it's just fuckin' stupid!_

Naruto had laughed after he'd said it, looking up at the sky and grinning wide. The blonde haired jinchuuriki shone brighter than anyone Gaara had ever met, and he accepted without judgement until he knew every side of the story. Unless it came to someone hurting the people he loved, of course. Meeting someone like that, who truly believed peace was attainable through bonds, had changed Gaara's whole world. Now he was close not only to Naruto, but also to his brother and sister, who had somehow cared about him even in his darkest moments.

The only person he couldn't reconcile with was his father, because neither of them could bring themselves to trust the other. Rasa was too dedicated to the village and scared that Gaara would destroy it, and Gaara still held a deep-rooted fear that Rasa could turn Temari and Kankuro against him too.

From the shadows Rasa stood in to the patch of moonlight Gaara was bathed in, the two surveyed each other evenly. Gaara thought Rasa looked tired, and the thought shook him, because he'd always thought his father was invincible, even against the One-Tails. He was the first to drop his gaze.

"Do you like this village?" Rasa asked so suddenly that Gaara wondered for a second if he'd imagined it. His eyes flicked up and met his father's, and he thought of how much Naruto hated Konoha. Yet the blonde had looked out over the Sand Village with wistful eyes and said to Gaara:

 _Love your village. If it's you, I'm sure it'll love you back._

"I do," Gaara answered cautiously, not lying. His first years had been inexplicably hard, but now that people were used to him it was easier. In the Sand Village, strength was respected, and Gaara had a lot of that.

"What would you do to help it?" Rasa asked, his stern face unreadable. Gaara opened his mouth to say anything, then thought of Naruto's smiles, Temari's exasperated eye rolls, and Kankuro's easy winks.

"…Almost anything," Gaara murmured into the swirling wind, because trading one thing you loved for another wasn't a trade at all. The wind picked up then, suddenly roaring through the lonely streets and blocking out all sound. It carried with it an abundance of sand, which made scratching sounds against house walls and pinging sounds against thin glass windows. Gaara turned his head slightly as he caught movement, and his eyes widened a little as he saw a leaf swirling through the middle of the gale. Where could that have come from?

"—Konoha?" Rasa finished, and Gaara's eyes went from the leaf to his father. It took him a moment to process what had come before Rasa's last word, and when he did he felt something inside of him grow taut.

 _"What?_ " Gaara whispered.

* * *

The time to destroy the four Konoha shinobi and the bridge builder had come. Haku had known it would come to this—he and Zabuza did things like this on an almost monthly basis—but it never seemed to get any easier. This time felt especially hard because the people he had to kill were kids only a few years younger than himself. Kids with their entire lives ahead of them, full of potential and a desire to live. Although Haku's kekkai genkai was freezing cold, he could never quite make his soul so.

"Haku," Zabuza said gruffly, but his hand when it laid on top of Haku's head was gentle. "You're too soft. You don't want to kill those kids, do you?"

"I…"

 _When there's no other choice, I'll do what they need me to do._

The words of the boy who had a dream like jagged pieces of a beautiful, broken picture fluttered through Haku's mind. He looked down at the senbon needles he held, which could be used for either killing or healing.

"Don't say it," Zabuza growled, and Haku looked up to see Zabuza glaring stubbornly out at the bridge they were about to attack. Dark, sharp eyes that most people saw as demon's eyes were tracking the bridge's workers with ruthless purpose, ready to start putting an end to them. Muscles rippled with a catlike grace as Zabuza shifted to get a better view, and the headband Zabuza wore to show off the fact that he'd was from one of the world's most dangerous villages glinted dangerously in the morning light. To anyone else, Zabuza must really look like a demon. But all Haku saw was a lonely man who wanted to move on from a past that kept chasing him.

"We need the money," Zabuza pointed out, as if he needed to convince Haku.

"I'll do whatever you say, no matter the reason. I am only a tool for your purposes, Zabuza. If you need me to kill for you, I'll do it without hesitation."

"That's not what I'm saying," Zabuza snapped, his deep voice rough and low as he brought his hands up in the mist summoning jutsu. "What I'm saying is that we need the money, so we have to kill the bridge builder. The rest of their lives are up to your discretion, just as long as they don't get in my way."

Haku's intake of breath was so small that no one else would've noticed, but Zabuza did—the twitch in his mask revealed that he was smirking a little. Haku had never once asked Zabuza to be kind to him or spare him from any horror, and Zabuza often did treat him as if he were only a tool. However, there were still a few precious moments like these, where Zabuza showed a consideration Haku couldn't believe he deserved.

"Thank you," Haku murmured under his breath as the mist began to grow heavy. Zabuza finally spared him a glance.

"When we have enough money, we won't have to do this anymore," Zabuza muttered as he began doing the hand signs to summon water clones. "I can't have you breaking later on because I forced you to kill. I'm doing this because a broken tool is useless to me."

Haku hid his grateful smile under his mask as he slipped it on and prepared to fight.

* * *

Sasuke woke up late after training more than half the night. It was pure luck, really, because a couple of low class ninjas tried to attack Tazuna's family thinking the entire squad was gone, and Sasuke was able to stop them. The bratty kid he'd protected finally seemed to realize it was time to do something other than stand around, and he scampered off to round up some friends after Sasuke had snapped at him. Protect your loved hadn't, and now he had none left, so the only way he could get stronger was to pit himself against an idiot as a rival.

The thought that he'd probably end up fighting some tough ninjas soon was like a blessing now, because the tiny blonde's face kept flashing through his mind and the word rival kept ringing through his head. He was already stronger than he had been yesterday, all because he'd decided he needed to be at least as strong as his trainer within the next few months. He wasn't even sure how strong his trainer was, but next time they met he'd find out and then find a way to surpass him.

With that in mind, he made his way to the bridge as quickly as he could, forgoing stealth for speed. Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi had headed there this morning with Tazuna, and if this morning's events were any indication, Zabuza would probably be making his move soon. Sure enough, when Sasuke finally made it to the bridge, the sight he came upon was nothing short of horror.

Kakashi stood by Zabuza, the two locked in a tense standstill as they watched the goings-on of a fight between Sakura and the Mist shinobi that had 'killed' Zabuza. Sai stood in front of Tazuna, his hands a whir of motion as he painted on a huge canvas, sweat running down his face. Every so often, he'd let an ink monster loose, but it had no effect on the strange, icy prison the Mist shinobi had trapped Sakura in. Everyone was trapped and the battle was completely in favour of the two Hidden Mist ninjas. It wasn't ideal, but now that Sasuke had shown up they had a chance to turn the tide to their favour.

Trying to ignore Sakura's pained cries as she was struck again and again with senbons she couldn't dodge, Sasuke studied the ice prison. It looked simple enough to get into—there were large cracks in the icy panels someone could sneak through—but trying to get out while the masked boy was controlling the entire battlefield was probably impossible. Sakura was trying her best, but she couldn't even dodge half of the needles, which were coming at an impossible pace towards her from every direction.

Sasuke was surprised to feel his heart contract in fury at her plight; he was a lot angrier than he'd expected to be. But Sakura had turned out to be a shockingly beneficial ally in their last fight, so seeing someone treat her as if she were nothing was really pissing him off. Sai evidently felt the same way; he was cursing under his breath as he continued to sketch something massive. Kakashi seemed to decide that he'd finally had enough, and he turned to Zabuza, revealing his Sharingan. The two squared off, then began their fight, moving away into the mist.

Now that there were no eyes on the clear part of the battlefield, Sasuke could sneak in. He crept up to Sai, dodging an ink monster with a glare as Sai sensed another presence. When he realized it was Sasuke, Sai muttered a hasty apology and concentrated on finishing what he was doing. Sasuke glanced at the massive painting, and was grudgingly impressed. It was a massive dragon with talons as long as his head and massive feet that could easily dwarf a human.

"What are you planning?" Sasuke asked, wincing as a senbon struck Sakura particularly deep. Instead of screaming out, she gritted her teeth and held up two kunai, still trying to block as much as she could.

"We need to smash her out of that place," Sai said as a bead of sweat rolled down his nose and dripped onto the canvas. "There's nothing she can do in there—I doubt any ninja could if they were trapped alone. Luckily, she has us."

Blue eyes flashed before Sasuke's face, and a question. _Do you have any important people?_

"Listen, I have an idea," Sasuke said quietly, grabbing Sai's arm and pulling him close to utter it into Sai's ear. Even though Sasuke had been stealthy, the Mist ninja had been paying attention to the entire battlefield and had by now noticed Sasuke's presence. He wasn't sure if it was arrogance or exertion that was causing the boy to overlook him, but he'd take it either way. He just needed to enact the plan without the Mist ninja figuring out what it was.

After he'd finished explaining his plan, Sai gave him a strange look.

"It's a brilliant idea, but where did you learn—"

"Later. Will you help me or not?"

Sai glanced at Sakura and his face hardened. Sasuke remembered the conversation he'd walked into and wondered if Sai was beginning to think of Sakura as a friend.

"Of course. I just hope she'll be strong enough to do her part."

"She will," Sasuke vowed. "She's already proven that she's much stronger than anyone gives her credit for."

* * *

Sakura wondered if this was how she was going to die. It wasn't like she'd rushed in without thinking; she'd assessed the risk, decided that Sai's ink monsters could protect against multiple enemies and get Tazuna away quick if it came to that, then decided to take on the younger ninja. After seeing the young shinobi's medical skills with the senbon, Sakura hadn't underestimated him either. She had just been planning to play it smart and cautious to give Kakashi time to defeat Zabuza. The problem was that she hadn't anticipated a chilling kekkai genkai that made all strategy obsolete.

Now, as she stood in the middle of the ice prison and took needle after painful needle, she was worried. But also sort of grateful. Medical things had always interested her, so she'd studied them even beyond what was required for school. She doubted Sasuke and Sai knew the pressure points and where a needle could be thrown to pierce a soft, delicate organ, but she did. That's why she allowed senbon to sink into her legs, arms, and shoulders, but she used her kunai to deflect the ones near her neck, back, and body trunk. At least this way, there was a tiny chance that Kakashi could finish his battle then save her. Even if there wasn't, at least she could buy time for Sai to get away.

All this ran through her head as her body slowly weakened, and she ended up on her knees to make herself a smaller target. She could feel the edges of her consciousness giving up, and in the corner of her eye she could see black coming on. No, wait… that wasn't the darkness of passing out. It was an ink butterfly. Needles flew again and she dodged towards the butterfly, making it look as natural as possible. She grabbed it, in the process taking a pretty severe hit to the stomach, but at least the stomach's organs weren't as vital short term.

The butterfly exploded in a mess of ink, but in the middle was a tiny sealed scroll that the ink didn't touch. Disguising it as a shifting of her kunai, Sakura opened it and glimpsed what was written inside. Her eyes widened briefly as she calculated how what was written could be possible. Actually, theoretically, it made a lot of sense. The only problem was that she'd have to get it on the first try without ever having practised first. She thought back to her lessons with Kakashi on the tree climbing, then crushed the scroll in her hand so the Mist ninja wouldn't see it. Alright, she'd do her best.

Her legs burned in pain as she forced herself to her feet, panting. The hit she'd taken to the stomach was bad enough that there was now blood dribbling from her lips, but she had to make one final push. For Sasuke. For Sai. For her team. The thought that they'd be next made her hold up her kunai once more, even though it was a painful struggle.

"You know you're finished," the Mist boy said quietly, sounding almost regretful. "Why do you stand up again?"

"Because…" Sakura growled, as the sound of ripping paper and a massive roar filled the air. She heard a slight gasp as the boy saw the massive beast Sai had created hurtling towards them at top speed. "…I believe in my friends."

"There's no way that'll work!" the boy yelled, leaping out of a mirror to stop the oncoming dragon from getting too close. Sakura didn't think it would work either. Luckily, the dragon was only a distraction.

"You boys better be right about this," Sakura panted under breath, dropping the kunai to the ground with a clatter as she focused all her chakra into her right fist. It didn't feel much different, but the scroll had said her strength would be way magnified. She studied the mirror Sasuke had said he'd be running for on the other side, then bolted towards it, using every last ounce of her strength. It was this or nothing—she wouldn't have the strength to make another go.

The Mist boy was so busy cutting the dragon to ribbons that he didn't notice Sakura until the last possible second.

"You…!" he gasped out, then threw three senbon impossibly fast. Sakura could see that these were aimed with a careful precision he hadn't used before; they were all going to hit vital organs if she got close enough to the mirrors. There was no time to worry about it; she drew her fist back and then smashed it forward with a battle cry as she heard Sasuke's yell on the other side. Her fist struck, Sasuke's fist struck, the senbon struck, and the crystal mirror in front of her shattered.

The sound of shattering glass filled the air as Sakura stumbled out into Sasuke's arms. They shared a triumphant smile, before Sasuke's smile completely disappeared and his face paled.

"Sakura, you…"

"Fight," she whispered, blood trickling from her side, chest, and neck. Everything was starting to look strangely out of proportion, and this time the blackness that was edging in wasn't an ink monster. The senbon had completely hit their mark, even as Sakura's fist had hit hers. "Complete the mission."

Sasuke's breath sped up and Sakura could distantly hear Sai yelling something, but it didn't matter anymore. She grabbed Sasuke's hand in one of her bloody ones and fixed him with an intense gaze.

"Protect our team," she said, then the blackness reached up and seized her consciousness, dragging her down into it.


	8. Chapter 7: A Wind That Doesn't Exist

Again. It had happened yet again, and right before Sasuke's eyes. He'd been so close to getting Sakura out of there, but he had failed completely and utterly, no matter that he'd been closer than ever before. He let her hand slip from his, a smear of blood left in his palm.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," he said quietly, easing her down onto the ground with a gentleness he hadn't realized he possessed. He was struck again by how useless all of his training had been, since he'd trained to fight Itachi instead of focusing on other ninjas that could get in his way. The latest thing he'd learned had been one step in the right direction, but one step wasn't enough to protect his comrades. Distantly, he heard Sai still yelling, and he rose to his feet.

It seemed like the entire world was trembling beneath his feet. It was a surprise when he looked up to see that the only things trembling were his legs. He remembered the way he'd frozen up and almost taken his own life when Kaze had strolled into the clearing. He'd sworn it would never happen again, and now he had to make good on that swear. He turned slowly to see the Mist ninja who'd made the ice prison strolling towards Sai and Tazuna.

"Hey," he said hoarsely, and when no one noticed, he clenched his fists and dug deep into himself.

"You!" he roared, charging towards the Mist ninja. The ninja dodged to one side with a graceful ease, moving so fast that Sasuke could barely see him. _This bastard killed Sakura,_ Sasuke thought. _And I'm going to do something about it._

The ninja was fast, but if Sasuke could only see, he could keep up with the bastard. All of the training he'd put his body through had left him with enough speed, but he needed to see. _Follow his movements, watch where he's going to attack next._

Sasuke spun around, his eyes finally beginning to adjust to the speed. He could see where exactly the ninja was going to attack, and he managed to deflect a kunai that would've gone flying towards Sai. Yet when the Mist ninja started attacking him, the blows were so fast that he couldn't defend himself. _I need to be stronger. I need to be strong enough to protect the rest of my comrades. I need to be strong enough to surpass my rival!_

For a second, nothing happened and he kept taking damage. Then, all of a sudden, the world seemed to sharpen. The movements grew clearer, and Sasuke started blocking. Clearer, and Sasuke was even able to parry some of them. The more he fought, the more he was starting to see through every movement, and the Mist ninja started slowing down. That kekkai genkai Sakura had forced him to use must have sapped most of his chakra, and now the one who was at a huge disadvantage was him.

At one pause in the battle, Sasuke managed to get the hand signs in for a fireball jutsu, and when he used it he was quick enough to singe his opponent. He could feel shock and confusion radiating through their blows, and then his opponent suddenly leapt away and stared at him in disbelief.

"Those eyes…" the Mist ninja said, and Sasuke realized that something did feel different with his eyes. He felt as if he could see things in a way he never had before; he could analyze his opponent's movements until he understood them so well that they were obsolete to use against him. He even had the feeling that if he wanted to, he could use those movements later since he understood them so well. So this was what it felt like… the Sharingan. He smiled grimly, pleased that he'd managed to unlock it this early.

"From here on out, I suppose you'll only get stronger," the Mist ninja said, sounding almost sad. "In that case, I'm of no more use. My chakra is almost gone and so I will only get slower. You, on the other hand, will continue to grow in this battle. I have failed. My life is yours to take."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, unable to see how anyone could accept their death so easily. He glanced over his shoulder at Sakura's body, then looked back at the boy. He took a kunai out and started running; even if there was no point in this death, he couldn't allow the person who had killed his comrade to live.

Up until the very last second, Sasuke expected meet resistance. Until he was close enough to see that the boy's mask had broken a little, and the one eye that showed through was completely accepting. Then Sasuke didn't expect any more resistance. Which, of course, was when he got some; the boy's head jerked towards where Zabuza and Kakashi had disappeared into the mist, and he suddenly knocked Sasuke's hand away.

Sasuke cursed and chased him, thinking he meant to take Kakashi with him before he died or something, but that wasn't the case. What Sasuke saw wasn't his opponent trying to kill Kakashi; it was Kakashi killing his opponent. It seemed the boy had thrown himself in front of Kakashi's hand to save Zabuza, dying in the process. Sasuke saw Kakashi's eyes widen for a second, and his mouth moved to form a name— _Rin?_ —before Zabuza tried to kill Kakashi. Kakashi leapt away taking the body of the dead Mist ninja with him, and then turned to face his opponent.

* * *

"Jiraiya," the Third was saying, and Jiraiya thought for a second that it was an old memory of his sensei getting angry with him for spying on public bathhouses. He smirked at the memory, his smile growing perverted as he thought of the girls he'd been spying on last time the Third had caught him. Man, the Leaf Village had the sexiest women. As much as Jiraiya wanted to avoid it to avoid being recognized, the women always drew him back here. He cackled madly to himself, before remembering to shut up in case anyone heard him.

"…Jiraiya, if you keep ignoring me, I'll tell the women you're here and let them loose on you."

That got Jiraiya's full attention, and his gaze snapped from miles of tanned, lush young skin to the wrinkled, stern face of Sarutobi. His day had started out so well, too. He pulled a face at the old man and half-turned his body so he could keep an eye out in case the Third tried anything. Like signalling young women that there was an old pervert around.

"Sarutobi-sensei," Jiraiya said, trying on a smile. "Are you here for the view, too?"

"Little brat!" Sarutobi snapped, making Jiraiya feel like he was twelve years old and had just failed at yet another jutsu. Those days were fun, but he wouldn't go back there for all the world. After all, Tsunade hadn't had nearly the melons she had on her now.

"You're getting too distracted here," Sarutobi sighed, rolling his eyes to the heavens as if asking why he had to put up with this. "Let's talk in a more private place."

"Are you suuure?" Jiraiya asked, nudging the Third with an elbow suggestively. "I mean, I won't tell if you just take a peek."

Sarutobi reached up to massage his temples as if Jiraiya was giving him a headache. Jiraiya honestly wondered for a second if Sarutobi would join him, but the old man didn't seem to have a fun bone in his body. He turned and started walking away, clearly expecting Jiraiya to come after him. Jiraiya let out a long, dramatic sigh, casting one last glance at the girls before following his old teacher.

"This better be good," Jiraiya grumbled, shoulders drooping. He'd been getting so into his 'research' too. It was annoying, but Sarutobi always seemed able to find him when he least wanted to be found. The Third said nothing for a while, but he stopped when they reached an old dock just south of the main street. There wasn't a soul around besides a couple of loons swimming lazily through the lake the dock led into. Even those looked like they were both males. Jiraiya wondered why the heavens had cursed him with such a strict teacher.

"Now, did you come back because you heard your former teammate would be joining us for the upcoming Chuunin Exams?" Sarutobi asked, fixing Jiraiya with a piercing look that could ferret out the true answer without Jiraiya even having to speak.

"I was aware of the fact," Jiraiya said cautiously, straightening up. It was true that he'd heard Orochimaru was in the area and planning something—probably something that involved destroying Konoha, as usual—but he really had come to do research. If Orochimaru tried anything and Jiraiya had to stand up to him in front of a bunch of pretty Leaf kunoichi… well, he wasn't complaining about that part either.

"I see," Sarutobi said. Jiraiya wondered what exactly his former sensei wanted; Orochimaru was notoriously slippery, so it wasn't like Jiraiya could just dig him up out of nowhere. But that wasn't what Sarutobi wanted at all. Sarutobi pulled a paper from his sleeve and handed it over to Jiraiya, watching as Jiraiya studied it.

"Our genin have yet to be chosen, but this is a list of all the other genin that will be participating. There's something in this list that disturbs me, but I can't figure out what it is. I was wondering if you, knowing Orochimaru even better than I do, could see the link between him and a team on this list."

Jiraiya glanced over the names, reading them in his head, sounding each one out. When he was done, he couldn't say that any one team had stuck out, but he understood what Sarutobi had meant by something disturbing. It was there, just at the edge of his consciousness. Something that sent warning bells ringing and disrupted the sage-like calm he could usually achieve. What _it_ was, though, lay just out of Jiraiya's reach.

"I can't see anything off the top of my head, but leave this with me," Jiraiya said, reading through the list again. This was truly troublesome. It nibbled at the back of his brain like a pesky bug he couldn't squash.

"Very well. Let me know if you come up with anything," Sarutobi murmured, his brows creased as he too looked at the list. Somewhere in this list, someone on this list… they weren't right. Someone here wasn't supposed to exist.

* * *

Sai wasn't entirely sure what he was feeling as he knelt over Sakura's prone body, but it wasn't something pleasant. He couldn't get the image of her wiping ink from his nose and grinning out of his head. _'Sai, have you ever had a friend?'_ She wore her emotions on her sleeve, and yet she was still incredibly strong. _'Well, you're going to have two now.'_

He looked up to see Sasuke coming over to stand beside him, the young Uchiha looking drained as he sank down to his knees to regard the body of their kunoichi teammate. Watching Sasuke awaken the Sharingan had been interesting, and Danzo would certainly want to hear about it, but right now Sai couldn't bring himself to even think about facing his old master.

"And what caused the awakening?" Danzo would ask. Sai would have to emotionlessly report that it was death of their comrade, who had selflessly sacrificed herself to give them more time and drain their opponent's chakra. Danzo would be more interested in Sasuke's reactions, feelings, and powers than Sakura, who had been the bravest of the three of them.

Kakashi, who had ceased fighting Zabuza while the Hidden Mist shinobi killed the man behind the attacks, limped up to stand behind them. He laid heavy hands on both of their shoulders, and Sai felt like something was crumbling away inside of him. He'd spent so much time building up walls to put his emotions behind that it felt like something was going to start to flood out in a torrent. He'd only known Sakura for a few short weeks, but her indomitable spirit had totally won him over.

"Sakura," Sasuke said roughly, his hands fisting on his knees. "Get up."

It was a selfish command built from grief, and one that none of the remaining Team 7 members believed would work. So it came as a huge shock when Sakura's eyes suddenly fluttered, and she croaked out: "Sasuke?"

Sai felt like what had been collapsing in him was suddenly expanding, and he felt an unfamiliar prickling behind his eyes. Sakura blinked a few more times, as if focusing, then let out a yelp, her fist flying up to land—

—right in Sai's face. Sai fell back again, clutching his cheek in shock as the pink-haired kunoichi bolted up, eyes wide as her head whipped back and forth, her eyes frantically searching all around the battlefield.

"Huh? What happened? Where's that boy? And Sai… wait, was that _you_ I punched?"

There was an unnatural pause, in which Sakura seemed to get more confused and flustered as she looked at everyone's faces. Sasuke was the first to break to silence, snorting out a laugh that turned into a chuckle that turned into full blown laughter of relief. The expanding in Sai's chest got so big that it had to be let out, and to his surprise what came out was laughing that matched Sasuke's, and then Kakashi joined in so they were all laughing in joy and relief.

Sakura didn't seem to get it, but when she saw the smiles on their faces her own lips twitched up and she seemed unable to stop herself from grinning. The four of them were battered, bruised, and bloody, but somehow that moment felt better than any of the moments they'd had all week together. For the first time, Team 7 was truly a team.

 _'Well, you're going to have two now,'_ Sakura had said, and as Sai laughed with his two teammates, he was overcome with the truth of that statement.

* * *

Three weeks later, after returning home and doing a few more D-rank missions that only strengthened the bonds between the Team 7 members, Kakashi stood before the Third, who was asking for Chuunin Exam nominations. Before the mission with Zabuza, Kakashi wouldn't have recommended his squad for anything in the world. Now, thinking about the way the three of them were warming up to each other and the way they sometimes even trained together after missions, recommending them was the most natural thing in the world.

There were no protests from anyone, even Iruka. Everyone had heard about how successful the mission with the three genin was, and it was already expected that they'd take part in the upcoming Exams. If anything, most of the adults were looking forward to showing off the next generation against the other villages.

Unsurprisingly—to Kakashi at least—Kurenai and Asuma both recommended their squads as well. In the end, all nine rookies were going to be entering the Chuunin Exams, for better or for worse. Kakashi smiled under his mask, knowing that things were about to start getting very interesting. All the players were on the board now; it was time for things to begin.

* * *

Jiraiya lay under a tree close to the hot springs, idly writing a few thousand words of his next book. This one was going to have his fans screaming for sure. Make-Out Tactics, it would be called, and it would feature his most perverted stories yet. He chuckled to himself as he wrote it, licking his lips with a grin. Oh yeah, this was one was truly—

His pen abruptly paused over the paper. What had been bothering him about the Chuunin Exam list finally clicked in his head, and he took out the paper Sarutobi had given him, setting it in front of him. He studied the names, then flipped over the page he'd been writing on to write down the three names that had just started making perfect sense in his head.

 _Hikami Noyo._

Jiraiya wasn't sure what it was supposed to mean now that he'd figured out the message the names were sending, but there was one thing he was sure of; this couldn't be the work of Orochimaru.

 _Hira Ran._

He swallowed thickly, almost unable to write the last name. He knew these names. He knew every letter intimately, and he couldn't believe he hadn't recognized them when he'd first read them. This team was far beyond the level of a chuunin. This team was a team that shouldn't—no,couldn't exist, which was why his brain had refused to comprehend the names he'd initially skimmed over. His hand trembling, he wrote the last name and his worst fears were confirmed.

 _Kaze Naminato._


	9. Chapter 8: Little Kids and Big Powers

When he wasn't training or doing missions, Sasuke spent his time wandering the Leaf Village, looking for his rival. He was more than slightly concerned, not because he thought someone could defeat the insanely strong kid, but more because somehow the blonde had ended up five days away from Konoha without even noticing.

By now, Kakashi had handed out the applications for the Chuunin Exams and explained what they were. Team 7 didn't even need to speak to each other to agree that they were going to enter; a mutual glance passed between them all and they'd decided. Sasuke still carried his application with him, feeling a rush of excitement every time he touched it; this was something that would weed out the weak from the strong, and it was a place where he could push himself even further.

Still, deep down he was slightly disappointed. After hearing about the Chuunin Exams, he'd convinced himself that his trainer, who looked around the age to take the Exam, was visiting because he would also be participating. It would be a chance to learn more and also show off how proficient he'd gotten in chakra control, thanks to the blonde's advice. But he saw neither hide nor hair of anyone who looked even remotely like the boy he'd met by the lake. All he saw were a bunch of bullies he, Sakura, and Sai had to fight off.

The day before the Chuunin Exams, when he'd finally realized that it was too late for his trainer to show up now, he had an odd encounter. He was sitting in a tree, leafing through the class registries of his year to find out if they contained any information on this Naruto Uzumaki kid, when three Sand ninja he'd seen around were approached by three Rain shinobi.

"While lookie here, we got ourselves a runt and two other weaklings," one of the Rain shinobi laughed, pointing at the small redhead who stood in the middle of the other Sand shinobi.

"I'd appreciate it if you moved," the small kid said quietly, and Sasuke lowered the registry to watch the two groups with interest. The Rain shinobi were much bigger than the Sand, but the three Sands radiated a confidence far beyond what people that young should.

"Huh? You trying to tell us what to do?" one of the Rain ninja asked, stepping forward and scowling down at the kid. Sasuke almost laughed; if this kept up, someone would be getting badly hurt, and he doubted it would be the Sand villagers.

"Yo, if Gaara says to move, I'd do it," the other boy of the group said, hefting whatever was on his back higher. So, this guy's name was Gaara. Sasuke made a mental note of it, a small smile curving his mouth upwards. This was going to be almost fun.

"Stupid little Sand shits, never knowing when to keep your traps shut," another Rain ninja snapped, and the girl of the Sand squad's hand twitched to the massive fan she held on her back.

"I think the only stupid ones here are you if you're trying to pick a fight with the Kazekage's kids," she said, giving Gaara and her other brother warning looks. "We're not interested in a fight right now. You want to show off, do it during the Exams."

"Nah, I think now's good," the third Rain ninja said, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. These Rain kids were so annoying, and now it would be up to him to stop them from wrecking public property. He drew two kunai and prepared to toss them in front of the Rain ninjas' feet to stop them, when all of a sudden all three of them stopped. Their eyes went wide and flickered from side to side nervously, but they didn't move. Or couldn't.

"Man, this is seriously such a drag. Everyone's starting fights right near my house today. Why do I have to use up all my chakra to stop you? Go fight somewhere else."

Shikamaru Nara, lazy kid extraordinaire, stepped out from behind one of the fences, forcing the Rain ninjas to follow suit. His shadow possession was certainly a jutsu to watch out for; if you weren't aware of it, it was easy to get trapped. Of course, once he trapped you, there wasn't much he could do since he had to do whatever he wanted to make his opponents do. Lucky for him, someone else was just as annoyed at the bullies as him.

With one flick of her wrist, the Sand kunoichi sent the three bullies tumbling so far they probably wouldn't want to come back even if they could. Sasuke had only barely glimpsed her movement, it was so graceful. Ninjas from the Sand were really something else. He briefly wondered if that's where his trainer was from, and the thought was enough to make him drop from his tree behind Gaara and his siblings.

The three turned halfway, keeping both Shikamaru and Sasuke in their sights.

"So, the Leaf is ambushing us too, now?" the girl asked, sounding unimpressed. Shikamaru straightened from the position he'd been using the jutsu in and snorted.

"No way. What's the point? If there's no need to fight, I have no desire to do it. In fact, I think I'm going to catch a nap."

As if to accentuate his point, Shikamaru let out a huge yawn and turned away, holding one hand over his head in a languid farewell wave. The Sand kunoichi smirked in amusement at Shikamaru's antics, but the other two turned their full attention on Sasuke. Gaara was the first one to speak.

"Do you plan to fight us alone, then?" he asked, his voice carefully neutral. Sasuke held up both hands in the universal white flag sign, shaking his head, and the tension in the air let up.

"I just wanted to ask you a question. On one of my missions, I met a small blonde kid. He was beyond strong, and we trained together for a while. I don't know his name, but you guys look pretty strong. Is he from your village?"

"Temari, Kankuro," Gaara said before either of his siblings could say anything. "I'll deal with this. You go on ahead."

Temari narrowed her eyes at Sasuke, giving him a slight shake of her head as if to tell him not to pursue the subject. Kankuro winced sympathetically, as if Sasuke was about to be horribly beaten, and then the two left together, throwing worried glances over their shoulders. It was a strange reaction, to say the least. Evidently they knew something about who the blonde kid was, but if he was truly a Sand shinobi, what was with the weird reactions?

"Before I say anything, I need to confirm something," Gaara murmured. Sand began to swirl around his feet agitatedly, and Sasuke wondered if maybe his trainer had somehow pissed off an entire village. "Was there anything… odd… about his appearance?"

"Besides painted nails, wrapped fingers, strange face markings, and a weird seal on his stomach?" Sasuke asked. He could tell immediately that Gaara knew exactly who he was talking about. Gaara's face visibly darkened and the sand started to make little spikes around his feet.

"I'm not going to ask how you saw the seal, because I don't want to know. However, I need to ask two other questions—did you recognize him, and did you tell anyone else about him?"

For some reason, Sasuke felt like his entire life was resting on the answers to those two questions. Recognize his trainer? Hardly; someone like that was impossible to forget, and he was quite sure he didn't remember seeing someone like that before. As for telling people… he'd debated telling Sakura and Sai, but somehow it felt weird, as if he were crashing two worlds together that weren't meant to be mixed.

"No and no," Sasuke answered honestly, and the redhead relaxed marginally. "We decided to become rivals, though. I just wanted to know if you knew who he was and whether or not he's going to be in the Exams."

Gaara mulled over this for so long that Sasuke's patience threatened to snap. Why did everything involving his rival have to be so mysterious? Why couldn't someone just walk up and say 'Yeah, I know that guy, his name is so and so, he's from this place'? Sasuke felt like if he could just solve this one mystery, he could also solve the mystery behind true strength.

"I don't know if they found him or not. I don't know if he made it here or not. I don't know if he decided to go through with anything he planned. Him being here is a long shot. However…"

Gaara's eyes were so intense that it took Sasuke a moment to realize he was holding his breath. But what Gaara said next was so ridiculous that Sasuke wondered if Gaara had been messing with him the entire time.

"If you're looking for him here, the only place I can imagine him being is in a bathhouse. Most likely the girls' side, although he wouldn't look like himself."

Sasuke waited for Gaara to burst out laughing and say 'I'm just yanking your chain; I don't know who you're talking about.' He waited. And waited some more, but Gaara never even cracked a smile; he only turned and silently began to walk away.

"Wait," Sasuke called, making the redhead pause for a second. "You never answered my original question. Is he from your village?"

Gaara thought about this for a while again, before answering, "He'll appear to be."

Then he walked away, leaving Sasuke alone with thoughts that were even more confused than before.

* * *

"Oh, oh, oh! Pick me! Please, please, I wanna go! They have such great dumplings in Konoha and I wanna eat them with Naruto!"

Every member of the Akatsuki had returned from whatever mission they'd been on to convene at a meeting of who would go to retrieve Naruto. Naruto's frequent absences had never bothered Itachi much before, but at this moment the lack of a bubbly blonde jinchuuriki by his side felt like a physical ache. Even though he'd been on long missions before, this was still the longest he'd gone without seeing Naruto since they'd left the village together. As illogical as it was, Itachi was worried. What if Naruto got hurt? What if he was consumed by the Nine-Tails? What if he was captured by Danzo? The longer the absence stretched, the more Itachi worried. There were too many things in this world that could injure even the strongest people.

"Tobi," Pain warned as the masked man made as if to grab Pain and shake him by the shoulders. Tobi stopped just short of it, but he was almost vibrating with a nervous energy. Tobi and Naruto got along famously, running around together and trying every new type of food they could get their hands on when they went on missions together. It was nice that they were great friends, but they were also complete idiots together, despite the fact that Tobi was actually Madara. Tobi would be a huge hindrance to this mission if he was selected.

"I've already made my selections," Pain said in a tone that brooked no argument, but Hidan immediately started swearing, saying that there was no point to a meeting if it was already decided. It took a while to get him to calm down, but when he finally did, Pain resumed as if nothing had happened.

"Konan will go since she can travel large distances and provide cover if needed. Sasori will go because he can use his puppets as agents in the village. And—"

"Good old Deidara, hm? Partner of Sasori and the one who can create flashy explosions for distraction, hm?" Deidara asked. Itachi fixed Deidara with a glare until the youngest Akatsuki member folded his arms and tried to look smaller, realizing how stupid what he'd just said was. Sending a bomber on a stealth mission was not a good idea. In fact, it was the epitome of a bad idea.

"No," Pain said with a sigh, as if even he were disappointed in Deidara. Zetsu put his hand over Tobi's mouth before he could make a quip about Deidara's stupidity and lead their group to fighting again. Itachi just wanted to get the meeting over with, and deep down, he may have been hoping Pain had chosen him so he could ensure Naruto's safety with his own eyes.

"I myself am the third person," Pain said tersely, earning shocked looks from everyone. The missions Pain went on were usually huge, grand missions integral to the core of the Akatsuki's ideals. That he himself would travel to Konoha to rescue their young friend…

"Hmph, wasn't expecting that," Kisame muttered to Itachi under his breath, and Itachi nodded in silent agreement. Though it was certainly different, the fact that the strongest Akatsuki member was going to help eased his mind a little. More, Pain had the power to stop the Nine-Tails if it came to that. His Rinnegan and Itachi's Sharingan had been the only things standing in the way of the kyuubi taking over Naruto's body permanently last time.

"Naruto Uzumaki has become more than just a pawn by now. Surely you all recognize that," Pain said, and the room went deathly silent. There were some things they never spoke of, some subjects even the strongest ninjas couldn't bear to talk about. Pain stood taller and seemed to be looking down at them all, even as he stood shorter than many of them.

"Every one of us in this room recognizes true pain, which is why we strive toward our ultimate goal. From the deaths of loved ones, to the hatred old comrades show us, to the injustices fate has smashed down upon us… To end these things, we know what we must do. Naruto knows this as well—he agreed to his fate four years ago.

"As a jinchuuriki, Naruto is more equipped to understand the other vessels' pain, and in doing so he can defeat them. By words or force, he will bring them here; he has been raised solely for this purpose. On his shoulders rests the pain of entire organization, but that is a burden he agreed to bear. Just as he agreed to give his own life to us when he learned of our purpose."

Even Hidan didn't speak into the heavy silence that followed. Everyone's reactions were similar; they'd gone ashy, and there was guilt written into the lines of every face. Tobi's reaction was even greater; he was trembling, and for a second Itachi was sure he saw a trace of red in the one eye Tobi's mask didn't obscure. Itachi focused sharply, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. Tobi—who was actually Madara—wasn't _really_ that attached to Naruto, right? Was the sickness advanced enough to make him see things?

Itachi shut the thought down, not because there was no possibility it could be true, but because he wouldn't allow it to be true. He had two younger brothers to save, and he would force his body to live longer than humanly possible to save them. Death would lay no claim on Itachi Uchiha until his purpose was carried out, no matter how desperately its fingers wound through his soul.

"I don't believe there are any more words to be spoken, so this meeting is adjourned," Pain said, closing his eyes as if looking at the world tired him. "Konan, Sasori, the two of you are with me. The rest of you have your missions."

Itachi turned and walked away from Pain, his feet barely making a sound. Kisame hurried to catch up with him, shaking his head disapprovingly.

"What?" Itachi asked, looking up at his partner with all the indifference he could muster.

"You don't have to worry so much; Naruto Uzumaki will live, one way or another," Kisame said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Itachi wasn't sure where Kisame's confidence was coming from, but he appreciated it. He gave one small nod to his partner, glad they were on the same page. But Kisame's lips were still pressed in a flat line.

"You're a terrifying guy, you know that?" Kisame muttered, shifting the sword higher onto his pack and avoiding Itachi's eyes. "Did you really not notice? Ever since the middle of Pain's speech, you've been using Mangekyou. It's really hard to look you in the eye like that."

Itachi reached up and pressed his hands against his eyes, willing the advanced Sharingan to go away. Sometimes, he wished he could do the same with his heart.

* * *

Sasuke met Sakura and Sai outside of the first place the Exam was taking place in. Sakura was practically jumping with excitement, while Sai's eyes glowed brighter than usual and there was colour in his typically pale face.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called as soon as she saw him, giving him a huge wave that made the other recruits snicker.

"Shut up," Sasuke hissed, his cheeks colouring. He shoved his hands in his pockets to regain some semblance of his dignity, then followed his squad into the building. There were already a ton of people gathered around the door they were supposed to go into, but when Sasuke got closer he realized there was something off.

"Is that…?" Sakura asked.

"Genjutsu?" Sai questioned.

"Genjutsu," Sasuke confirmed, and the three of them sighed at the obvious trick that had somehow managed to fool what looked like half the genin in the Exams. Some of the genin overheard and the word spread like wildfire, leaving most people looking shocked. Three Leaf genin who didn't look shocked caught Sasuke's eye, and the guy with the purple eyes stared Sasuke down in return.

"Hm, I don't think I've seen you around before," the guy said, his voice and face the picture of arrogance. He made his way up to Sasuke, his two companions trailing behind him, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"My name is Neji Hyuuga, strongest Hyuuga of this generation. Who might you be?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he looked the genin up and down, assessing what skills the Hyuuga might be packing. Everyone knew about the Byakugan, but there were other, more secret skills the Hyuugas possessed which made them extremely strong.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

An amused smile made Neji's face look even more arrogant, and Sasuke couldn't help a smirk from creeping across his own face. This guy radiated strength; he was more than worthy of being an opponent, just like that guy Gaara.

"And I am Rock Lee!" one of the strangest ninjas Sasuke had ever seen said, stepping up beside Neji. With a bowl cut, eyebrows that looked ready to crawl off his face, and a green jumpsuit, Sasuke wondered if he was actually supposed to take this guy seriously or not. "I am here to challenge strong ninjas and prove that hard work can be just as effective as genius! I hope to meet you in battle, Sasuke Uchiha."

He even spoke in an odd, formal manner, but Sasuke could hear confidence in his voice, and the way Neji cut his glance to his comrade showed respect. If Neji respected this clown, Sasuke supposed he couldn't be all that bad, so Sasuke gave a curt nod. Rock Lee whooped as if this were some great victory, then paused, looking at something over Sasuke's shoulder.

"You… you are truly beautiful! What is your name?" he asked, and Sasuke stepped aside to see Sakura staring at Rock Lee, startled. Sai watched the proceedings with interest, as if he'd never seen these kinds of interactions before.

"Sakura Haruno," Sakura muttered, looking creeped out by Lee's attention.

"Sakura, would you be my girlfriend?" Lee asked, giving a thumbs up and smiling so that his teeth sparkled. Sasuke had to bite back a laugh as Sakura's expression went from incredulous to angry, and her fist spoke before her mouth could.

"As if!" she yelled, while Lee just managed to dodge her punch. Now that she'd learned about chakra control, Sasuke had noticed her punches were much stronger than before. Since she wasn't fawning over him anymore, he reminded himself he needed to stay on her good side.

"Lee, we need to go sign up," the girl of Lee and Neji's group said, ushering her two squad mates onward. Rock Lee seemed even more smitten with Sakura knowing she was that tough, but he let the girl drag him away, leaving Team 7 behind. Sakura shook her head in exasperation while Sai looked as if he'd just seen something great. Maybe because it had been someone other than him being punched.

"This should be interesting," Sasuke said as they followed Neji's squad. When they finally got to the room they were supposed to be at, Kakashi appeared. Hearing him say how proud he was of them was as shocking and amazing as it had been the first time he'd praised them, and Sasuke knew they were truly making the right decision. With warmth in his heart for the first time in a long time, Sasuke set his hand against the door, and Sai and Sakura's hands joined his to push the door open. The Chuunin Exams would be—

 _Death._

It radiated through the room, scentless but as potent as the scent of a rotting corpse. Only the feeling of his comrades by his sides kept Sasuke from reeling back, but most other ninjas were as far away from the middle seat as they could get. Sasuke's Sharingan flickered on and off as his eyes widened, and the figure in the middle of the room glanced over his shoulder.

"Ah, it's Sasuke," the monster said, his cruel grin so wide it was a wonder his face didn't split. "Hello again! Your seat is right next to mine."

Then he reached into his pocket and took out a lollipop, unwrapping it with no regard to how loud it was in the completely silent room. He popped it in his mouth then stretched, setting his feet on the desk and his hands behind his head.

"This'll be fun," the redhead sang around his lollipop, his voice reverberating throughout the room. He closed one eye and tilted his head back to continue grinning at Sasuke. Nobody moved a muscle, most people scared to even blink.

"Kaze Naminato," Sasuke breathed. He wondered what his rival would do when faced with such a fearsome opponent. The thought lent him just enough bravery to square his shoulders and walk forward, ignoring all gazes, until he stopped beside the monster. Kaze gestured languidly beside him, and Sasuke took the seat without missing a beat, sweat beading on his upper lip.

This Exam was going to be more difficult than he could've ever imagined.


	10. Chapter 9: Kaze Naminato

Orochimaru had to admit that his interest was piqued. He'd come for Itachi's younger brother, and yet here sat a young man that seemed set to surpass Itachi himself. Whoever they were, they were no genin like they claimed to be. But that was okay; Orochimaru wouldn't tell. After all, he was pretending to be a genin too.

When the exam instructor walked in, all dark aura immediately faded from the room, and Orochimaru was duly impressed. To hide an aura of that scale was quite the feat; he'd know. He ran his tongue over his lips as he looked the boy up and down, admiring his body. Every visible muscle was perfect and the face was beautiful too. The attitude, the voice, the body… they all fit together so well. Too well, in fact. Orochimaru wanted to take them apart and see what made Kaze tick.

As if sensing Orochimaru's gaze, Kaze's head turned a fraction. The green eyes that wandered over him were lovely, but they were no Sharingan. No, even though this boy looked like he had insane amounts of power, Orochimaru was after a kekkai genkai. Perhaps Kaze had one, but taking a chance when he could only get a body every couple of years was too risky. Maybe if he took just a little piece for a clone though…

Ibiki had the papers passed out as he explained the rules, which were barely more than a little slap on the wrist. The Chuunin Exams were so soft and easy Orochimaru wanted to laugh out loud. A written exam with psychological components? If someone couldn't beat this part, they may as well throw themselves off a cliff like the useless trash they were. He couldn't believe this was one of the things Sarutobi had allowed to happen; the old man could be so much harsher when he wanted to be.

Nonetheless, it was nice to have a little ease once in a while. Orochimaru bent over his test, reading, and when he realized the entire point of this little exercise he actually did snicker. Oh, Sarutobi, encouraging things like cheating when he hated cheating. What a terrible Hokage he made. But that was okay; Orochimaru would put an end to that soon, and the Leaf Village wouldn't have to worry anymore. Not about the Hokage, or about anything else—they'd all be dead.

It was hard to keep his impatience reigned in, but Orochimaru somehow managed as he began writing. For now, he'd satisfy his boredom by watching Sasuke and Kaze, two genin who were far and away the most interesting people in the village. When the chance came, he'd take both of them. It would be so nice to have the pretty little redhead preserved behind glass until Orochimaru was ready to take that perfectly put together body of his.

* * *

Sasuke had to grab his wrist to keep it from trembling as he wrote. Sitting beside one of the strongest ninjas he'd ever met, it was hard to keep the pressure from getting to him. At one point, he even almost stabbed Kaze with his pen when the redhead moved towards him, but Kaze was only offering him a lollipop. Somehow, being offered a lollipop by a guy who could probably rip your head off if he decided he wanted to play soccer with it wasn't very comforting.

It didn't take more than a couple of tries for Sasuke to be able to use his Sharingan to cheat, and when he was done he watched the clock with obsessive interest, having no desire to sit beside a monster any longer than he had to. Kaze had somehow finished a while ago, and Sasuke was sort of curious how he'd cheated. He'd been hyperaware of the redheaded shinobi's presence, so he'd noticed every movement. Kaze had an annoying habit of tapping his fingers against the desk, but other than that he hadn't shown any signs of cheating. Was it that he was simply smart enough to know the answers already?

Sasuke was so curious he couldn't take it anymore, so he surreptitiously glanced at Kaze's paper out of the side of his eye. Then had to stifle a gasp. Kaze hadn't written any actual answers down. He'd only doodled on the math ones, drawing lines to show where the shurikens would end up and writing 'probably around here' under the lines. He hadn't even attempted the decoding one, and anything that didn't involve weapons was left blank. Was he that confident in his teammates' abilities? For that matter, who even were the teammates of this monster, who didn't openly display any headband?

"I have a few new rules to explain," Ibiki said as the clock came around, and Kaze jerked awake. For a second, he didn't seem to know where he was, and he dug his fingers into the desk, almost shaking as his head whipped back and forth. Then he relaxed a little, focusing on the Exam proctor as Ibiki explained what the tenth question would entail. Sasuke wondered what all that had been about.

"Man, this fuckin' sucks, like, he's basically invalidating all our questions," Kaze muttered to Sasuke as if they were best buddies. Sasuke sat ramrod straight, trying to ignore him. He felt Kaze lean closer, and he had to stifle a shiver as he felt hot breath against his neck. It felt like Kaze was preparing to sink his teeth into Sasuke's neck and tear the soft arteries and veins there open. Sasuke doubted he could stop him no matter how hard he tried.

"Woah, your answers are really detailed. Hey… is that how we're supposed to write them?"

Sasuke was more than a little surprised to hear real panic in Kaze's voice, as if he'd truly believed that what he'd written was fine.

"Yes," Sasuke whispered back, not able to relax even when Kaze leaned away. He risked a tiny glance over to Kaze, and his eyes widened. The redhead had his fingers knotted in his hair, and his breathing had sped up, as if he were freaking out. He was mumbling curse words under his breath so fast Sasuke could barely make them out, and that intense aura he'd been radiating started leaking out again.

"Calm down," Sasuke hissed, not wanting to have to suffer through the aura. "The tenth question is all that matters now."

"R-right," Kaze stammered, the aura disappearing. He gave Sasuke a grateful glance, as if Sasuke had done him a huge favour, and Sasuke was taken aback. This guy's strength was off the charts, yet here he was losing his mind over a little test. Sasuke had assumed that this guy was better than him in all categories, but right now it was Sasuke helping him instead of the other way around. It felt kind of good, to know that he had the upper hand in something with this guy.

When Ibiki finally finished the extremely harsh rules, people in the class started dropping out like flies, giving up completely so they could take the Exam next year. This would make it way harder to cheat, but Sasuke couldn't give up now. Even if his rival was genin age, he'd probably surpassed chuunin level a while ago, so Sasuke needed to do this now if he wanted to catch up within this decade. He risked a glance at Sakura and Sai, and was pleased to see that the two of them were just as set to finish this thing as he was.

"No fuckin' way," he heard from beside him, and he turned to see Kaze half standing. His eyes widened; was the guy going to give up? "No way am I dropping out, shitface! I'm not scared of some little piece of paper. Bring it the hell on!"

Ibiki's glare at being called shitface was like a kunai, and Kaze suddenly sunk shamefully into his seat, looking like a kid who had just been chastised. He unwrapped another lollipop from somewhere and put it in his mouth, avoiding Ibiki's eyes. Sasuke just couldn't get a hold on this guy. Sometimes it was like he was ready to destroy the entire world, and other times he was like a sulky child. He was at once far beyond his age and more immature than anyone his age.

"Sorry," Kaze muttered. To _Sasuke._ As if his cursing had somehow upset Sasuke and he felt the need to apologize even though he could break Sasuke with his pinkie finger. The fear and hatred Sasuke had been feeling towards the redhead suddenly loosened, and he decided he couldn't really hate someone so weird after all.

"What flavour is that lollipop?" Sasuke asked, his cheeks flushing at the stupid attempt to engage Kaze in conversation. But if someone like this was on their side during the Exams, their pass percentage could increase dramatically. Kaze's sharp, excited intake of breath was like a four-year-old's, as he fished another lollipop from his sleeve and offered it to Sasuke.

"It's strawberry! My favourite kind. It's really, really good, you should try it, I think you'll like it because it's super sweet and—"

"Yeah, thanks," Sasuke said to stop the blathering. He accepted it and unwrapped it, frowning and wondering if it was somehow poisoned. There didn't seem to be any point in poisoning it though. Why poison an enemy when you can obliterate them without even trying? As he put it in his mouth and sweetness flooded his senses, he realized why he'd been thinking the red looked familiar. It reminded him of the deep, mesmerizing red of Itachi's Mangekyou the last time they'd met.

Thinking of Itachi made him remember with sharp clarity the reason he'd began hating Kaze in the first place, and he spun to face Kaze, fury plain in his features.

"What you said earlier," Sasuke growled in a low voice. "You knowing me, and saying he was coming for me… You're talking about Itachi, aren't you? You know him?"

Kaze looked surprised, screwing up his face and thinking back. It was like what he'd said was so inconsequential that it didn't even matter anymore, so he'd totally forgotten it. Ibiki was saying something else now, about how they'd passed, but Sasuke was too focused on Kaze to care. Finally, Kaze snapped his fingers as if he'd remembered.

"Oh yeah. I can't believe you remember that!" As if those ominous words coming from a Hokage level ninja were as boring as the weather last year. "Right, well, I wasn't talking about Itachi. _You_ I know because I've been to the Leaf before, and I saw you. The guy I was talking about… his name is Orochimaru. This has nothing to do with Itachi Uchiha."

Sasuke allowed himself a moment of disappointment—besides the lead with Naruto, he was back to square one—before stashing it away and trying to process the new information. He'd never even heard of Orochimaru before. He was about to ask Kaze more when there was suddenly a huge commotion and a woman appeared in front of the room. She spread her arms wide and announced that it was time to move on to part two of the Chuunin Exams.

Kaze turned his full attention back to the woman calling herself Anko, his fingers going back to tapping on the desk thoughtfully. When Anko was finished with her introductions and preparing to lead them to the Forty-Fourth Training Ground, Sakura and Sai came to stand protectively beside Sasuke, warily eyeing Kaze.

"Two little leaves," Kaze sneered, and all of his former childishness was gone, replaced with the cold arrogance he'd previously shown. Sasuke was floored; for a second, he'd thought he could ally with Kaze, but Kaze's personality had done a complete 180 again. "Come to be blown away in the wind? Pathetic."

Sakura took a step forward as if she were going to punch Kaze, but Sai gripped her arm, shaking his head once. It was way too dangerous to risk provoking him, even if he didn't seem to be in a killing mood now. Sasuke stood from his seat beside Kaze, taking the lollipop from his mouth and setting it on the desk with a sharp crack.

"These are my teammates," Sasuke snapped. "Show them some respect."

Kaze looked down at the rejected candy then back up at Sasuke, his face torn. He seemed unable to decide whether he wanted to be friendly or not. Sasuke found himself hoping the friendly part would win out, because Kaze didn't actually have a bad personality when he was nice, but Kaze's remorse was quickly replaced with cold indifference as he stood too.

"Hira, Hikami," he called, and two ninjas came to stand beside him. The girl looked harsh and severe, all hair scraped away from her face and wound up into a tight bun. She stared down the Leaf genin evenly, not even attempting to speak to them. The boy looked sorrowful—large, sweet doe eyes narrowed as if in pain and mouth turned down at the corners. He also didn't speak; his eyes seemed to look past them at some horror that wasn't there. Both had skin white as death, and Sasuke was disturbed to find that he couldn't feel anything coming from them. There was no aura, no emotion, no real life. If he hadn't been looking at them, it would be as if they didn't exist.

"These are my teammates," Kaze said, his face a cool mask. "Watch out for them."

Sasuke was about to ask why, when a low whimper sounded behind him. He turned to see another one of Konoha's rookie teams, the one with Kiba, Hinata, and Shino. The whimper was coming from Kiba's dog as it looked at Kaze and the other two shinobi, and it crawled into Kiba's shirt as if to hide.

"What is it, Akamaru?" Kiba asked, and when he managed to interpret the whimpers, his face paled. His eyes snapped up to Kaze and he clenched his fists, making his way over to the impassive redhead with a snarl.

"You're sick," Kiba growled, barely able to look at Hira and Hikami. "What kind of disgusting monster does something like that to his teammates?"

"What are you talking about?" Sai asked curiously, studying Hira and Hikami. The two didn't even seem to notice that they were being talked about; they were absolutely blank, as if they didn't even have souls. Kaze's smile was all teeth as he reached up and wrapped both arms around his teammates, drawing them close.

"None of you have any right to judge," Kaze said leaning his head on Hira's shoulder almost lovingly. The girl didn't react; her face remained stony and studiously blank. "These are my best friends in all the village. Are you going to insult them?"

"I'm going to kill you is what I'm going to do!" Kiba yelled, and Kaze's eyes sparkled as if that was exactly what he wanted to hear. He straightened up, cracking his knuckles, and his two companions stepped back.

"S-stop it! This isn't what we should be doing!"

Everyone was surprised to hear shy, quiet Hinata speak up, and though her face reddened from the attention, she forced herself between Kiba and Kaze.

"We shouldn't be fighting just for the sake of fighting. P-please don't."

Kiba looked like he'd calmed down a little, but Kaze looked even angrier than before. He chest heaved and his heavy-lidded eyes were wide. He clenched his fists, and directed a gaze of pure hatred towards Hinata, as if he wanted to destroy her for stopping the fight. Before anyone could react, Kaze had thrown his fist towards the tiny Hyuuga girl and both of his companions were lunging for her, as if all three of them were planning to kill her.

There was nothing anyone could do to stop speed like that, and Sasuke knew he'd be too late even after he'd lunged with everything he had in him. Until Kaze and his companions ran headfirst into a wall into of sand, and a raspy voice called out: "She's right."

Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari had all come up to see what was going on, and now Gaara was fixing Kaze with an intense stare, anger clear in his posture.

"You're looking for a fight, aren't you? You were clearly trying to provoke these Leaf shinobi to give yourself a reason to fight. But fighting for the sake of fighting is wrong. The only time we should fight is when it's for the sake of peace."

Hinata looked stunned, as if she couldn't believe her outburst had almost earned her a death. Sasuke wouldn't be surprised if she never spoke again, but apparently she was made of stronger material than he'd thought, because at Gaara's words she swallowed and then nodded shakily. Kaze cursed softly under his breath, his posture relaxing until he seemed more in control of himself. But his voice was still vicious and full of rage when he shouldered past Gaara and spoke, every word like a blow.

"Go fuck yourself, Gaara."

There was a long, stunned silence in the room before everyone finally breathed out, the air feeling lighter than it had in what seemed like days. The only one who still looked bothered was Gaara, as he turned and watched Kaze leave with a confused expression. Then his confusion faded away and was replaced with pain, as if someone had just gutted him with kunai. He drew in a sharp breath and reached up, clutching his chest like his heart had just been broken.

"Kaze, you…" he whispered, and Sasuke was the only one to catch the reaction as everyone else started leaving to go the training grounds. He watched in mute bewilderment as Gaara closed his eyes, shaking his head sadly and sipping in small breaths as if breathing hurt. The small redhead hunched his shoulders, following after their companions, but something had obviously gotten to him. Sasuke gritted his teeth, determined to find out the truth of this one thing. There were so many mysteries—Kaze, his trainer, Naruto Uzumaki—and he was going to figure them out, no matter what he had to do.

* * *

Sarutobi was still shaken by the news Jiraiya had delivered to him, but he didn't know what he could do about it. Risk drawing attention to the team, when the team could possibly have the power to destroy the entire Leaf Village? Risk not drawing attention to the team, when destroying the village could be their plan? He understood the message now, and it was indeed disturbing. However, he still didn't know why that was particular message that had been sent; was it a good omen or a bad one?

 _Hikami Noyo._

He picked up the sheet Jiraiya had given him, tracing the names written down on it. Whoever was behind this, they had knowledge beyond what anyone should have. This wasn't just the work of one person's knowledge—it was the work of an entire organization's knowledge.

 _Hira Ran._

But who? Everyone who had this much knowledge had either proven their loyalty or died, right? Himself, Kakashi, Jiraiya… how many other people knew all of these names as well as the three of them? Not even Orochimaru could know them all.

 _Kaze Naminato._

Because Jiraiya had seen that the names of this particular Sand Village team weren't true names after all. They were simply the letters of true names mixed up to create false ones. An anagram, with the true three names reading what Jiraiya had shakily written on the page:

 _Minato Namikaze. Rin Nohara. Yahiko._


	11. Chapter 10: Scene of a Disaster

Orochimaru wasn't one to get sentimental, but the fact that the proctor for this part of the Exam was Anko pleased him. She'd grown into such an interesting little thing, even after he'd put the curse mark on her. From a young age, she'd always been tenacious, and the fact that she was here grinning instead of buried like the others proved she hadn't lost any of that. He looked forward to breaking her eventually.

Sasuke and Kaze had separated and were now standing with their respective squads, so it was harder to keep an eye on both of them at once. He'd decided to go after Sasuke, but his eyes kept straying to Kaze. Even his teammates were odd, standing beside him with their heads bowed as they listened to Anko explain about the heaven and earth scrolls.

"Now we'll start sending you into the forest," Anko called, and Orochimaru was lucky enough to be sent in before Sasuke. For now, he'd ignore Kaze and focus entirely on Sasuke. By the time Team 7 had gotten their bearings and decided who to go after, Orochimaru's trap would be laid. His tongue writhed excitedly in his mouth as he began building up his chakra. He couldn't wait.

He didn't notice the way Kaze's eyes widened then narrowed in recognition, or the smallest spike of a familiar chakra before it was quickly hushed.

* * *

It was a relief when Team 7 finally grabbed their scroll and left the crowd behind to take to the forest, leaving the wrath of Kaze's gaze. The redhead had seemed exceptionally tense, and he kept looking at Sasuke with a warning that Sasuke couldn't quite interpret. It wasn't threatening exactly, but it was as if he were trying to tell Sasuke that danger was inevitable. Sasuke did his best to ignore the look, and had searched every genin face left to see if his rival was among them. He wasn't.

Now, a hush had fallen over the forest, and Sakura, Sasuke, and Sai were all gathered at the base of a tree to discuss their plans. Sai's powers were invaluable on a mission like this, because he could create ink monsters they could fly on and search the ground from without having to put themselves in much danger. They'd decided that was exactly what they were going to do, and they'd try to find a weaker looking team to conserve their energy for whatever the next part of the Exam would be.

They were flying over the leaves, Sasuke using his Sharingan to look for any sign of movement, when the attack came. He was on an ink beast, and then he wasn't. Suddenly, he was falling, and so were Sai and Sakura. Sakura was the first one to recover, yelling for Sai and Sasuke to stop themselves with kunai, and the three ninja took out kunai and dug them into the trees they were falling past to stop their fall.

Sakura stopped first, Sai second, and Sasuke third, landing on a branch in a crouch. He leapt up immediately as three shuriken hit the spot where he'd been a moment before. Standing on the trunk of the tree using his chakra control technique, he searched the trees until he found their attacker. It was a woman; the Grass ninja that he'd noticed staring at him creepily throughout the Exam.

"What do you want?" Sasuke called as she laughed delightedly at his reflexes. Then she released a killing intent strong enough to rival the one Kaze had released the first time Team 7 had encountered him. If he hadn't encountered something like this before, Sasuke would've been unable to move. As it was, his breath still felt heavy in his lungs, but he managed to dodge when the Grass ninja threw a few more shuriken.

"Impressive," the Grass ninja cooed as she dodged some of Sai's birds. Before she could say whatever else she was going to say, they exploded, throwing her forward until she almost hit a tree. She shook her head, then turned and looked up at Sai with snakelike eyes, her smile never leaving her face.

"Aren't you a fiery one," she giggled, and Sai's distraction was just enough for Sakura to get behind the Grass ninja and aim a fistful of dense chakra at her. The snakelike woman huffed and dodged it with an ease that shouldn't be possible, her tongue snaking out impossibly long and whipping Sakura back against a tree.

Sakura hit the tree hard, unable to slow herself in midair, and coughed up a mouthful of blood as something was damaged. Sai leapt from his perch and began running towards where Sakura was, and Sasuke joined him so they could regroup to take on the snake woman together. But the snake woman had other ideas; she made a multitude of hand signs in just a few seconds, then bit into her hand and slammed it down on the tree. There was a huge explosion, and all three genin were thrown in opposite directions as the air was filled with a thick, white cloud.

When it cleared, the Grass ninja stood on the most massive snake Sasuke had ever seen. It was the most massive animal he'd ever seen, period. The amount of chakra it must've taken to summon that was insane, and Sasuke could see in that moment that there was absolutely nothing any of the three genin could do against this one ninja. He held up the scroll his team had entrusted to him.

"If this is what you're after, I'll give it to you!" he yelled, because the explosion had sent Sakura against the tree for a second time and now she was barely conscious. Sai watched the scene from his own tree, but he didn't object with Sasuke's decision. They couldn't make it out of this battle alive.

"Oh Sasuke, silly boy, _that's_ not what I'm after," the Grass ninja hissed, and then she reached up and pulled off her face. Or rather, the face she'd been wearing, because underneath was her real face. And it wasn't a her—it was a him. Sasuke remembered what Kaze had said when they'd been sitting together, and the name was off his lips before he could stop it.

"Orochimaru?"

The snakelike man giggled again, and coming from a man made it a hundred times more disturbing.

"I'm impressed, Sasuke," Orochimaru said, as if speaking to a child. "You've done your research."

Sai's reaction was much bigger than Sasuke had expected, for someone who shouldn't know who Orochimaru was. He reeled back, pressing his back into the tree as a look of disgust came over his face. There was something conflicted there too, as if he had to do something he didn't want to, but Sasuke didn't have time to pay attention to him. The giant snake was swaying mesmerizingly before him as if it was planning to attack at any time, and Orochimaru was watching him with almost the exact same expression as the snake. Sasuke couldn't decide who the bigger threat was.

"Well then, I don't want any interferences, so before we have our chat I'll take care of anything that could hinder it," Orochimaru said. His head swivelled impossibly around to look at Sakura, and suddenly he began to cough. It was a disgusting, wet sound, as if he were trying to bring up a fur ball or the half-digested body of some animal. Sasuke felt like he was going to be sick as something swelled up in Orochimaru's throat, and the head of a snake came out from between his lips.

The snake's mouth opened then and it puked up a sword. Orochimaru pulled the sword from the snake's mouth as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do, then threw it at Sakura. Sasuke needed to move, but at the same time he threw the sword, Orochimaru also leapt off the snake towards Sasuke, and the snake lunged towards Sai. He was planning to kill all three genin within a few seconds.

Sasuke found his hands doing the signs before his mind had caught up to what he was doing, and he cupped his hand up to his mouth to do a fireball jutsu. He knew even before he blew that it would be too late, because Orochimaru was so fast he'd be able to dodge around it in a second. It was all over. In one second, they'd all be—

There were four loud cracks, like the snapping of bones, and Orochimaru's slitlike pupils widened before his arm elongated and he grabbed a branch in front of Sasuke, jerking himself up onto it and away from the person who had just appeared on the battlefield.

A black cloak billowed in front of Sasuke's eyes, as he looked at the back of the man standing in front of him. Familiar red hair stood on end, and both of the man's arms were stretched out as if he was ready to embrace Orochimaru, or try to hold the world together. Four of his fingers were bent at unnatural angles, and odd glittery strings were visible from each of them with Sasuke's Sharingan. Sasuke followed the strings and was shocked to see Hira standing in front of Sakura, a sword through her midsection. When his eyes tracked the strings from the other hand, they landed on Hikami, whose hand was dug into the head of Orochimaru's giant snake, somehow stopping it.

"Kaze?" Sasuke whispered, not understanding what he was seeing. The fingers on Kaze's right hand twitched, and Hira reached down to pull the sword from her midsection, dropping it over the side of the tree. The fingers on Kaze's left hand twitched, and Hikami started pushing the snake away from Sai, one small step after another. There was a loud snap as one of Kaze's fingers bent until it broke, but Kaze only let out a small grunt and kept moving the hands that controlled his two teammates. Or his two… puppets?

"Y-you," Orochimaru said, his smile disappearing for the first time as Kaze looked up at him. Kaze's presence was now somehow completely overshadowing Orochimaru's, and as Sasuke watched, sweat gathered at Orochimaru's temples. "Impossible. How are you here?"

"Orochimaruuuuu," Kaze snarled, but his voice had completely changed. It was rougher than Sasuke had ever heard it, and it was dripping with darkness and malice beyond comprehension. Sasuke started trembling, and as he watched, Kaze's face started to crack. What the hell was going on? The bigger the cracks grew, the more concerned Orochimaru got, and he leapt away as if Kaze could hit him from the huge length of space between them.

With one final pull that broke all the bones in his left fingers, Kaze's puppet threw the snake away. Then Kaze's entire arm shattered, as if it were made of glass. Or wood. Beneath the wood, there was another, smaller arm, and Sasuke felt like he was breathing in ice. Black nails and a wrapped hand had appeared, more tanned than Kaze's paled skin.

"You can't," Orochimaru snapped, but he was beginning to sound desperate as Kaze broke all the fingers in his right hand to send Hira after the snake, ripping through the delicate skin of its underbelly and digging deeper and deeper until the snake let out a long, pained hiss and disappeared. With his fingers broken and his puppets useless, Kaze closed his fists and the strings abruptly cut off, leaving Hira and Hikami flopping down where they stood.

"Sasuke," Kaze growled as more pieces of his face started to crack. Shining through the cracks was… chakra? It was impossible, that there was such a thing as visible chakra, but that's what the red, dense thing leaking from Kaze's face was. _"Take your squad and leave."_

There was so much malevolence under those words that Sasuke could do nothing more than obey, scrambling up to get out from behind Kaze and go to Sakura. Orochimaru watched him in frustration, but the snake man didn't even try to go for him. He got to Sakura and scooped her up, then turned to see Sai making his way over. Holding Sakura close to his chest, Sasuke watched as Orochimaru and Kaze squared off.

"Little jinchuuriki," Orochimaru spat as the sweat on his temple began to run down his face. Kaze crouched, his back arching as he did so, and his entire body shattered around him. Splinters of wood went in all directions, and the body that had once belonged to Kaze was no more. Kaze's face was the last to break, the chakra-infused carving falling away to reveal a familiar face.

Sasuke suddenly understood everything. The tapping of the fingers on the desk, the reason ' _Hey, you'_ had sounded familiar, the broken fingers, what Kiba had meant by disgusting—Hikami and Hira were nothing more than dead bodies modified into puppets. And Kaze was no one other than the boy Sasuke had chosen to become the rival of, the one he'd spent the day training and trading banter with.

"You're—" Sasuke began, but then Sai was there, grabbing Sasuke's arm and urging him to bring Sakura and leave. As Sasuke watched, the red chakra bubbled even denser around his trainer, and it seemed that actual tails of red chakra were growing from his body. Blue eyes were overtaken by red, friendly pupils turning into catlike slits, broken fingers cracking painfully as the nails on them elongated into claws.

"We need to leave now," Sai yelled into Sasuke's ear as Sasuke watched the horrific scene, unable to look away. Kaze—if that was even his real name—was transforming into something terrifying. His face had been broken once, and Sasuke had thought the face under it was real, but even this one was disappearing. Skin was bubbling away under chakra, burning to reveal red underneath it. When Kaze spoke next, it wasn't a real word. It was a wordless howl that carried years of pain, decades of rage, horror, and untold tortures. It was hatred made sound, and Kaze was the personification of that sound. Except he wasn't a person. He was a monster.

"Will you let Sakura die out of curiosity?" Sai yelled, and Sasuke finally dragged his eyes away from the scene long enough to look Sai in the eye. Sai was terrified, his pupils engulfing his dark eyes and trembling out of white skin. With one teammate scared out of his wits and the other unconscious, Sasuke had no choice but to leave Kaze behind. He shook his head quickly and let Sai lead him away from a battle that was beyond the level of a Hokage.

* * *

Sai didn't know what to think anymore. Danzo had given him the mission of watching Sasuke to determine how strong he was, then reporting it back. Sai had been doing the mission, and after learning that Sasuke could awaken the Sharingan, Danzo had told Sai his real intentions. Danzo had allied with Orochimaru and had been feeding the snake man information so Orochimaru could make a decision about whether or not he wanted Sasuke's body. In return, Orochimaru was going to try and figure out a way to clone Uchiha eyes to give to Danzo.

Sai's new mission was to make sure Orochimaru was successful. He hadn't questioned Danzo when he'd been the mission, but he'd questioned himself ever since. Sasuke had become more than just a mission to him now, and so had Sakura. Somehow, risking his life alongside the two of them had made him form bonds with them. He knew he should've done something to distract Kaze so Orochimaru could place a curse mark on Sasuke, but he was worried about Sakura and he couldn't imagine betraying Sasuke at that moment. In fact, he couldn't imagine ever betraying one of them now.

"Sakura," Sasuke was saying softly now, and Sai joined him to watch the kunoichi sit up, looking annoyed that she'd been knocked out. It wasn't like there was anything she could've done though; even Sai's skills would've been useless against one of the Sannin. Sasuke explained what had happened in a low voice, and Sakura looked a little shell shocked.

"Kaze saved us?" she asked, and Sai couldn't help but share her surprise. Sasuke closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, then nodded.

"I have to tell you both something," Sasuke said, and the three of them sat under a leafy canopy as Sasuke told them everything that had happened in the Land of the Waves. Even with all of his underground knowledge, Sai still couldn't figure out who Kaze was. He didn't sound like anyone Danzo had ever mentioned, but the Root should have knowledge of all shinobi with powers like that.

Sai sighed, knowing that he needed to make a decision now. Betray his team, or betray Danzo. He'd spent the majority of his childhood trying to live up to Danzo's expectations, always with the feeling that somehow he couldn't. Now he understood why; he couldn't completely rid himself of emotions.

"I also have something to confess," Sai said quietly, and Sakura and Sasuke gave him their undivided attention. He told them everything—his betrayal, Danzo's orders, and who Orochimaru was. When he was finished, Sasuke's eyes were tight with anger and Sakura looked like she was going to hit someone. Sai bowed his head, accepting whatever judgements they'd lay on him.

"When this is over, I'm gunna kill Danzo," Sakura growled, smacking her fist into her palm.

"Not by yourself," Sasuke answered, his eyes glinting crimson. "We'll do it together."

"Aren't you—aren't you angry with me?" Sai asked, surprised. This wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting; he'd expected them to leave him there and continue on without him. To call him a multitude of rude things then never speak to him again. He was struck with the odd feeling he always got when he didn't understand human emotions, a feeling he got less and less now.

"Why? It isn't like you told him something the rest of the village doesn't know already," Sasuke muttered with a shrug. "Besides feeding him obvious information, you haven't actually done anything really bad."

"Yeah, it's that asshole who's in the wrong!" Sakura yelled, getting fired up. "Taking children and manipulating them to his ends, who does he think he is?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but Sai was truly touched. People, bonds, emotions… they weren't so bad, after all.

 _ **BOOM.**_

The explosion rocked the entire forest, throwing everyone to the ground and shaking the trees for miles. Sai could feel the aftereffects chattering through his teeth, and his hearing seemed dulled, like the explosion had damaged his eardrums. He brought his hands up to his ears and found wet, pulling his hand away to see his fingertips stained with red. He looked up to see Sakura and Sasuke looking dazed, crimson trails also trickling from their ears. When he turned, he could barely believe what he was seeing.

Besides a small copse of charred trees in front of them, the landscape had been completely flattened back the way they'd left Orochimaru and Kaze. Sasuke struggled to his feet, his mouth opening and moving, but Sai couldn't hear what he was saying, and after a moment, Sasuke touched his throat in confusion as if wondering why there were no sounds coming out.

Sakura pointed to her ears and shook her head, and the other two understood; their hearing was too damaged right now. Sasuke looked annoyed, but he grabbed their arms and started physically dragging them towards where the explosion had just happened. Sai decided Sasuke was completely out of his mind from the blast and shook his head vigorously, but Sasuke angrily mouthed words, forcing Sai to stop and read his lips.

 _He saved our lives. We should help him._

 _How could we help him?_ Sai mouthed back, a high-pitched ringing beginning in his head, bringing muted sounds with it. _They're too strong._

 _We have to try._

Sai didn't understand Sasuke's obsession with Kaze and what being 'rivals' really meant, but if this was that important he supposed he'd go along with it. Sakura mouthed _He's crazy_ at Sai, and Sai nodded but shrugged to say _What can we do?_

Sounds were coming back more rapidly now, making Sai dizzy, but he stumbled after Sasuke regardless. The ground beneath their feet was charred, but there were still some recognizable stains and gouges in the earth. Splashes of blood were everywhere, and claw marks were raked into the ground like someone had been dragged.

Team 7 struggled on, leaning on each other so they could still stand to make it to the center of the crater that had been created. The battle was already over, but the aftermath they found had Sakura pressing her hand against her mouth to hold back vomit, and bile rising in Sai's throat. He looked at Sasuke, the one who'd wanted to see Kaze in the first place.

Sasuke shoved Sai and Sakura away before Sai could see his expression, stumbling and tripping over the uneven ground then crawling the rest of the way to kneel beside his rival. His rival who was no longer a person anymore. Heat radiated off the thing that lay there, and six massive tails of black and red thrashed as it opened its mouth and let out a horrifying roar.

"Sasuke, get back!" Sai hissed, his voice hoarse, but Sasuke didn't seem to hear him. The thing writhing on the ground suddenly flipped over and grabbed Sasuke by the throat pulling him close and screaming wordlessly into his face. Sasuke gasped, then gripped the thing's hand, looking it steadily in the eyes. Slowly, Sasuke's Sharingan rose to tinge his eyes red, and everything paused.


	12. Chapter 11: Rule 25

When Sasuke awoke, he had no idea where he was. One second he was being strangled by the monster Kaze had turned into, the next he was here. It was completely black here, with only a pinprick of red far off in the distance. He spun in a full circle, but the only thing he could see as far as his eyes would take in was the red light. He squared his shoulders and walked towards it.

The ground under his feet made splashing sounds as if he were walking on water, and when he looked down he was surprised to see flashes of images.

 _A blonde boy, staring in the mirror, holding back tears from spilling over in luminous azure eyes._

 _Older kids standing above, hands and feet a blur as they kept on beating at the hands raised protectively._

 _A hand with deep purple nails reaching out and laying on top of a head._

 _Nine older shinobi wearing black robes with red clouds, faces hooded in darkness as they turned to regard the kid._

 _A thin, gaunt face, odd purple eyes staring intensely as the mouth moved to ask a question._

 _Blurry vision, a trembling hand stretched out to dig into the dirt and haul the body it was attached to up one more time._

 _A woman with purple hair and sad eyes the colour of a sunset painting black onto nails, the ghost of a smile on her face._

 _A copper mask with one eye hole, the person wearing it reaching up to remove it._

 _A half black, half white man, holding out a hand to shake._

 _Blood._

Sasuke tore his eyes away from the images as he got closer to the red light, and a deep, amused chuckle came out of the darkness, echoing through his bones.

 **"Another one?"** the voice rumbled, and when Sasuke stopped the massive, grinning face of a fox appeared from the darkness. Its long ears were pulled back against its head, and its snout revealed row upon row of sharp, hungry teeth. Under its head were massive paws that could easily crush Sasuke with one lazy swipe. The most terrifying thing about it was its eyes; glowing dimly, they were the colour of old blood and held a cunning intelligence animals shouldn't possess.

 **"I've never met someone who can carry so much hatred yet have so many friends,"** the fox chuckled darkly, and from the corner of his eye Sasuke could see huge tails resembling the ones Kaze had swishing back and forth patiently.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, more troubled than ever about where he was and how he'd gotten here. The fox's laugh reverberated throughout the dark space, making the very air quiver.

" **Do you really have time to be standing around talking, little Uchiha? You have strong eyes, perhaps destined to become even stronger than Madara's. You should be able to use them to find him, don't you think?"**

Sasuke had no idea what the fox meant, but the words struck a cord deep within him. That's right, he'd come to find someone. He'd used his Sharingan, and somehow he'd been able to see into the depths of Kaze's soul. He spun around, looking out through the darkness, but he couldn't sense any of the blonde's presence out there.

 **"I'll give you a hint for getting this far,"** the fox said in his deep, chilling voice. **"There are some hatreds that are bottomless, that will suck you so far down you won't ever be able to find your way back up. My little vessel has immersed himself in one such hatred."**

Immersed? Bottomless? Sasuke looked down at the scenes that were still flashing across the water.

 _Helping a bloody, beaten Gaara up from the sand._

 _Hugging someone wearing black and red tightly, fingers dug into the cloak as if they'd never let go._

 _Watching a raven haired ninja—Sasuke—about to kill himself, and moving to stop it._

 _Reaching out to touch names on Konoha's Memorial Stone with gentle fingers._

 _Sakura's disgusted face as fingers dyed red reached out with infinite care._

 _Tears from purple, ringed eyes._

 _Tears from orange eyes._

 _Tears from one Sharingan._

 _Tears from two._

 _Haunted, small round eyes in an oddly amphibian face._

 _Pain in greyish brown eyes._

 _Weariness in blue ones._

 _Fear in dark purple ones._

 _Anger in green pupil-less ones._

 _Hatred in yellow pupil-less ones._

Sasuke plunged his hand through the images, scattering them in the ripples. The water burned his arm as if it were liquid acid, steam rising up from his skin. He clenched his teeth, his entire body trembling in pain, and reached deeper. The pain was almost unbearable, scorching so much he thought his nerve endings would come apart and he'd feel nothing but pain for the rest of his life. Then his fingers grazed something solid. He clutched onto it, tears streaming from his eyes as he bit back an agonized scream, and he pulled as hard as he could.

The black nails came out first, followed by the rest of the wrapped arm, followed by a fluff of blonde, then the rest of the body. Sasuke kept tugging until Kaze was all the way out of the pool, his head flopping lifelessly from his neck.

"Hey," Sasuke said hoarsely, pulling the boy close as he started sinking again. "Wake up. Come on, you idiot, you're going to sink again if you don't wake up."

Fingers twitched weakly and Kaze's eyes fluttered, but his body kept trying to sink back into the black acid. Struggling to keep him afloat, Sasuke slipped his arms under the blonde's neck and knees, lifting him and standing up. He was oddly light, as if there were pieces of him missing, and his body seemed smaller than Sasuke had remembered.

"Hurry up, I can't hold you like this forever," Sasuke panted, clutching Kaze close to his chest and stumbling forward to see if there was anywhere he could bring his rival. The entire space was made of the same inky blackness as the water, stretching far as the eye could see. The only choice was to wake Kaze up.

"Please," Sasuke found himself begging, not wanting to be trapped here forever. Kaze stirred again, letting out a small moan that sounded younger than it should.

"It…a…" Kaze started to say, and Sasuke froze. But then golden eyelashes fluttered, opening to expose the blue Sasuke remembered. They were dazed and unfocused, flashes of confusion registering through them.

"Sasuke?" Kaze asked sleepily, and the water disappeared, the darkness disappeared, and the world disappeared until the only thing grounding Sasuke was Kaze's weight in his arms. Then that disappeared too and Sasuke became nothing.

* * *

Sakura didn't really understand what was happening. One minute, monster Kaze's hand was wrapped around Sasuke's throat, trying to squeeze the life from him, and the next human Kaze was emerging from the monster. The claws digging into Sasuke's throat gradually peeled back, and then the black and red chakra cloaking began doing the same all over the rest of his body. What was underneath the chakra cloak almost made her wish the monster had stayed instead.

"Sasuke," Sai grunted, leaping forward to peel the now-human hand from Sasuke's throat. Sasuke's Sharingan was looking far away, but when the contact between him and Kaze was broken he came back to himself with a snap, blinking and coughing, reaching up to rub his throat.

"What—" he started, then stopped dead when he caught a glimpse of the tattered ruins of Kaze's body. The small boy had fallen back on to the earth and was now making a low keening sound under his breath as the dissolved cloak revealed pulpy pink skin underneath. His back arched and he choked out a cry as the black was pulled from his face, revealing damage far beyond the healing capabilities of anyone. He thrashed around, crying out in pain, and Sakura could feel tears building behind her own eyes as she watched his agony.

"Grab him, hold him still," she commanded, and her two boys obeyed without question, Sai firmly clamping onto Kaze's ankles while Sasuke moved to kneel by his head, holding that down. If he kept up this thrashing, he was going to injure himself even further, and Sakura couldn't allow that. Even if he'd originally been an enemy, he'd saved the entire team and literally sacrificed his own skin to do it.

"This is horrible," Sai murmured as the boy started breathing so fast Sakura worried he'd break his ribs. She bit down on her lip to keep from crying and moved to hold his hands down until the last of the chakra cloak disappeared.

"We need to move him away from here, it's too open," Sasuke said hoarsely, probably still sore from being strangled. But Sakura shook her head, remembering her studies on human skin.

"This…" she had to pause for a moment to gather herself. "This is beyond fixing. The damage is too great; cells can't regenerate at a fast enough speed to remake the layer of skin he's lost. With the tissue underneath exposed…"

The twenty-fifth Shinobi Rule was that a shinobi must never show their tears, but Sakura couldn't stop the glittering droplets from overflowing and running down her cheeks as she looked at the young, blonde ninja.

"He must be in agony," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat. "I can't even imagine. For the rest of his life he'll… We can't leave him like this, Sasuke. Death is a kindness at this point."

Sasuke stared down at his rival with a numbness that could only be emotional shock. He may not have known the tiny shinobi very long, but it seemed Kaze had managed to touch his heart regardless.

"No."

"The top layer of skin was burned, but it didn't burn past the dermis or subcutaneous tissue," Sai said, matter-of-fact. "Which means it didn't burn past the nerve endings. They're completely exposed and will remain that way. Sakura is right; death is a kindness."

"No!"

Sakura couldn't understand why Sasuke was being so adamant; even if he'd liked the other shinobi, it wasn't like they'd been together long enough to develop a real bond. In fact, Kaze had been cruel and terrifying for a lot of the time they'd been together, except for the training sessions Sasuke had with him. If anything, Sasuke should be the one who wanted the suffering to end since he liked Kaze the most out of the three of them.

"I don't understand," Sai said plainly, waiting for an explanation. Sasuke avoided their eyes, glaring down at the skinless blonde as if angry with him for getting hurt.

"He's strong," Sasuke said, as if that were an explanation. "Stronger than anyone I've ever met. He trained until he was broken then trained more. He said he wanted to die for his comrades."

Sasuke's fingers tightened on Kaze's face and the injured boy moaned in pain until Sasuke loosened his grip, cradling his head almost gently.

"If someone this strong dies for nothing—if he dies not even able to give his life for the people he loves most—what's the point of everything? What's the point of even trying to get stronger? When I used my Sharingan I saw things in his mind. He has so many people he wants to protect, and because we were weak, _he couldn't protect a single one!"_

"You're wrong," Sai said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I may not know much about bonds yet, but I know that he protected us even though he didn't have to. It wasn't for Sakura and it certainly wasn't for me. You may not be one of the people he loves the most, but it seems like you're at least someone he wants to protect."

Sasuke looked at Sai, startled, then back at Kaze. There was something akin to grief on his face now, as if he were starting to accept the fact that his rival wouldn't be getting up to challenge him again. Until confusion crossed his face and he bent over until his forehead almost touched Kaze's.

"Sakura…?" Sasuke asked. "Didn't you say the cell regeneration was impossible?"

"Yes, it's impossible for cells to regenerate fast enough. Why?"

Sasuke leaned back and frowned, nodding down at Kaze's face. Sakura looked down and understood his confusion because, impossibly, new, paler-than-before skin was growing over the horrid mess of Kaze's cheeks. It was slow, blossoming over the swollen pink like a flower unfurling, but the progress was steady and noticeable.

"I don't understand," Sakura whispered, truly stumped. Every anatomy book she'd ever read had made it clear that burn victims could never be restored to their original selves even through grafting, but that was exactly what was happening here. Was it because the fire had come from the inside of Kaze? No, it still didn't make any sense; the damage was too similar to someone who had been burned from the outside. She didn't get it, but her chest felt a little lighter all of a sudden. She didn't know Kaze enough to like him—secretly, she disliked him a lot—but no one, not even a worst enemy, should have to suffer the way he was.

"Then let's count our blessings and get out of here," Sai said, casting his gaze critically around the very obvious site of attack. "This place will attract curious onlookers and enemies alike. If we don't leave now, we could end up in trouble again."

"We're bringing him," Sasuke said tonelessly, his eyes daring anyone to argue. Sakura sighed a little as she stood, releasing Kaze now that he was no longer thrashing about.

"Of course we are," she said gently, reaching out to place a fond hand on Sasuke's head. "Even if we don't all get along, he saved our lives. The least we could do is help him out."

"I agree, although my reasons may be different," Sai said with one of his polite smiles. Those smiles were less and less frequent now, more often used to mock than anything else. "He could prove a useful ally if he's this strong."

Minds made up, the three of them worked together to ease Kaze onto one of Sai's ink beasts as carefully as they could, wincing when he let out a cry as a hand grazed his exposed skin. At the rate his skin was growing back, it should be completely better within a twenty-four-hour period, but those twenty-four hours would be spent in agony. Still, as they flew away from the scene of disaster, he bore it with a strength Sakura could never imagine having, suffering silently through it as if sensing that sound could be dangerous.

* * *

Yugao and Anko found the crater a few minutes after Team 7 left with Kaze, unaware of the events that had just taken place. All Yugao knew was that a battle beyond the level of genin had taken place here, and the two chakras that had made every jounin stiffen were legendary enough to be recognized. One was Orochimaru, and the other… the other was the chakra of the Nine-Tailed fox, thought to have been lost the night Itachi Uchiha massacred his clan.

Yugao crouched in the center of the crater and lay her palm against the dirt, studying the markings around it. It was still warm from whoever had been laying here, and the footprints indicated that three people had taken the body away somewhere, somehow managing to do it without leaving a trace as to how they left. She guessed it was some sort of jutsu that allowed flight, since there was no way to leap from this crater without leaving some sort of mark.

"I don't understand how they were both in the same place," Anko said from beside her, and Yugao looked up to see the kunoichi almost drowning in guilt. Anko blamed herself for Orochimaru getting this far, but he'd managed to pass every Anbu guard Yugao had posted around the Leaf's perimeter. There was no way one kunoichi could be expected to catch someone slippery enough to evade the entire Anbu force.

"It's not your fault; he's sly as a fox," Yugao said, standing up and squinting into the sky to see if she could make anyone out. Whoever had taken the body had left recently, but had had the good sense not to stay in an obvious sightline.

"An appropriate comment, considering the fox managed to sneak by everyone as well," Anko said, shaking her head. Yugao would have to double the guard, never mind that they were lacking the manpower to do that.

"So do you think we should cancel the Exam?" Anko prompted when Yugao said nothing else, and Yugao could hear the conversation she'd had with the Hokage echoing through her head.

 _Yes._

"No. There's no point in cancelling anything now; the fox and the snake are already in the village. At least this way we'll be able to know an approximation of their whereabouts. They'll likely stick close to the places the Exams are being held, since it looks like whatever they're after is close."

The thought worried Yugao not just as the head of the Anbu, but also as the lover of the next portion's proctor. Hayate would have to watch over the fighting matches when there were at least two monsters just waiting for the right moment to cause destruction. If he was caught up in the middle…

Yugao swallowed, trying to push the thought away. She'd known as soon as she'd accepted the job as Anbu Commander that she would have to put being a shinobi first and being a lover second. She and Hayate had both accepted this fact, but she was finding it hard to remember how she could've ever thought putting the job first was a good idea. She loved Hayate now more than ever, and even though he was a kenjutsu master, his sickness still made him weaker than usual.

"Be safe," she whispered, the wind snatching her words away to carry them who knew where. She closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that Hayate would feel her plea.

"What'd you say?" Anko asked, looking confused, and Yugao's eyes snapped back open as she forced herself to focus on the mission.

"Nothing. Let's continue the investigation."

* * *

Sasuke sat beside Kaze with his face pressed into his knees, fingers twined together on the back of his head. Night had fallen, and he'd agreed to take first watch while Sakura and Sai got some sleep. They'd managed to catch some fish in a nearby stream, and the three of them had been quietly subdued as they ate. Once they'd gotten Kaze away from the destruction, they'd set down to give him time to heal because moving him seemed to hurt him worse.

Now his skin was mostly intact, healing even faster than Sakura's estimate, but his fingers kept spasming in pain and he kept his lips tightly pressed together against the low whimpers that occasionally spilled from his throat. Sasuke was just thinking how grateful he was that Kaze wasn't conscious when he felt something brush against his leg.

He looked up, startled, to see the blonde's fingertips set against his ankle.

"Kaze, you're awake," Sasuke whispered, not wanting to wake the others. Kaze seemed dazed, and he had to swallow a few times before he could manage to make any sounds.

"W-water?" he croaked, wincing as if speaking hurt. Sasuke nodded mutely and ran down to the stream to scoop up some water in his canteen. He frowned down at Kaze when he came back, determining that the boy wasn't strong enough to help himself. With a light sigh, he settled down and eased Kaze's head into his lap, pushing away the ridiculous embarrassment he was beginning to feel. He was just helping out his rival and the guy who'd saved his life.

It took several tries before Kaze was able to swallow any water—at one point, Sasuke was truly worried he'd have to use his own mouth to help—but after a few mouthfuls things got easier and Kaze's eyes began to grow more focused. When Sasuke went to give him more water, he reached up and his fingers gently circled Sasuke's wrist to stop him. He shook his head slightly, his hand warmer than a usual person's against Sasuke's skin.

"Do you have any…" he struggled to get the words out, and his mouth, which had been twisted in a painful grimace, suddenly curved into a slight smile. "…ramen?"

"Ramen?" Sasuke asked, dumbfounded, forgetting to keep his voice down at the request. Sakura, who was the closest, stirred, and Sasuke forced himself to speak more quietly. "How the hell would we get ramen, you moron?"

"No harm in trying, right?" Kaze asked, his voice somewhat stronger now. "I used a lot of energy, I think. I'm super fuckin' hungry."

"What you are is an idiot," Sasuke snarled, the fury and worry he'd been feeling suddenly rising up. "What the hell were you thinking, taking that snake asshole on like that? Whatever power you used… did you know it would damage you like that? How could you do something so reckless?"

"Why're you angry? I saved your life," Kaze pointed out, looking confused. He tried to sit up but the moment he moved his face turned sheet-white and he choked on a soft curse, his breathing picking up.

"Moron!" Sasuke snapped again, grabbing Kaze's shoulders and gently forcing him back down onto his lap.

"It hurts," Kaze huffed plaintively, looking at Sasuke as if Sasuke was supposed to provide some reason why it hurt. "It really, really hurts."

"Because you ripped all your skin off with whatever that freaky power you used was. Of course it hurts! And that's also why I'm mad—you could've killed yourself."

"Why do you care?" Kaze muttered, shifting his eyes from Sasuke's almost guiltily.

"Why did you save us?" Sasuke shot back, almost desperate to know the answer.

"Because I want to be your friend," Kaze said easily, as if the answer were the simplest thing in the world. The azure eyes that locked back onto Sasuke's were completely earnest, not a hint of deception in them. This time, Sasuke was the first to look away.

"If you wanted to be my friend, why didn't you tell me who you were?" Sasuke asked. "You had plenty of time when we were training. Did you not think of mentioning it even once—like, 'By the way, you know that guy you met on the road earlier who was terrifyingly strong? Yeah, that was me'?"

"Terrifying, huh?" Kaze asked, settling more comfortably onto Sasuke's lap and closing his eyes. "That's exactly why I didn't tell you. I didn't want to give you a reason to be scared of me."

Sasuke couldn't say anything to that; he probably would've been scared if he'd found out his trainer was the same redhead who'd had that chilling presence.

"Why do you want to be friends with me, anyway? We barely know each other."

"You look lonely," Kaze said, his eyes still closed. "I know that pain. The pain of having no one important to you—the pain of pushing them away or having them push you away. I can see you're not as lonely now with your teammates, but I still can't help feeling like I understand you more than anyone else could. I saved them because they're all you have, aren't they? If I didn't save them, I wouldn't be saving you. Not really."

Sasuke didn't know what to feel or think. Everything Kaze had just said was true—it was as if the small shinobi had caught a glimpse of his soul. He wondered if that was why, deep down, he couldn't abandon Kaze. What Kaze had seen in him, he'd also seen reflected back. Kaze said he had important people, yet he still seemed so isolated, as if he were carrying a burden even his important people didn't know about. Even though Kaze painted a picture of being surrounded by friends, there was still something inherently lonely about him.

"Sasuke?" Kaze asked in a small voice. "You never answered my question. Why do you care whether I live or die?"

"You're my one and only rival, even if you are an idiot," Sasuke answered, rolling his eyes as if he were annoyed. "Since I don't think I'll find a stronger rival, I need you to stay alive so I can surpass you and become strong."

Kaze grinned at this, nodding as if accepting it.

"I think we'll make…" Kaze began, his voice growing quieter as he spoke. "…really great… rivals… you… bas…tard…"

As if speaking so much had tired him out, Kaze's head slumped to one side and his breathing deepened, becoming peaceful for the first time since they'd brought him here. Not wanting to risk waking him up, Sasuke let out a long sigh and settled into a more comfortable position for the night. Just this once, he'd allow himself to be used as a pillow, but never again.


	13. Chapter 12: Death Sentence

Konan had long ago passed the point where she spent the night praying no more comrades would have to die. After Yahiko, when her heart had been broken into more pieces than the paper she could scatter into, she'd thought she couldn't take anymore. It hurt so much she threw herself into Akatsuki missions, choosing the most reckless, dangerous ones she could so her comrades didn't have to. Still, the world spun and new days passed and new deaths appeared to shatter her even more. It was amazing how much the human heart could take; if heartbreak could be measured on a scale akin to physical pain, Konan's was equivalent to every bone being shattered on a continuous basis while her skin burned in white-hot flames.

Her only solace for a long time had been Nagato, whose agony was the only one that could perhaps equal hers, though he claimed it was greater. The problem was that together, their sorrow was multiplied and reflected back until they were trapped in an infinite loop of horrors that Nagato could give only one name—Pain. It was a continuous cycle like a dark, hazy dream, one they'd both thought there was no way out of. They'd both been wrong.

Naruto's arrival had been a sliver of sunshine finding its way through the dream, illuminating the darkness so Konan's heart could wake up just a little. His smiles, his yelling, the scraggly flowers he'd bring her from the desert, the constant loudness that he brought into an otherwise silent world… A part of Konan that had laid dormant since Yahiko suddenly woke up, and it said over and over again: Protect him. He was her last chance, and she couldn't let the world's coldness take him too.

"Nagato," Konan said now, her fingers finding their way into Pain's cloak and gripping it. In any other circumstance, she wouldn't have used his real name, but this particular one was so horrible that her mind had cleared itself of anything logical or clever.

"That didn't happen," Sasori said flatly, as if denying what the three of them had felt would make it go away. "It _couldn't_ happen."

"Nagato," Konan said more insistently, shaking the sleeve she'd grabbed a little to shake Nagato from his mind. The face that turned to look at her was Yahiko's, and the voice that came from the mouth was Yahiko's, but the words were all Pain.

"He's alive," Pain said grimly, his face dark. "That was undoubtedly the chakra of the Nine-Tails, but it hasn't vanished. Someone has suppressed it."

Time started moving again, just a little, as Konan released Pain's sleeve and turned to gaze at the Leaf village. Konoha looked beautiful from above, but what Konan saw wasn't a beautiful view. What she saw was the single biggest dark hole on all of the earth; a black hole that had sucked the lives of more friends into it than any other place. The streets were steeped in evil, even if many of the people who walked through them were innocent.

"Someone?" Konan asked, her eyes wandering over people so far away they looked like ants. For Konan, Pain, and Sasori, they would likely be as easy to crush too.

"The number of people who could do such a thing are limited," Pain replied, narrowing eyes that belonged to Nagato and making an expression that Yahiko would've never worn. "Kakashi Hatake has a Sharingan, but I doubt it's strong enough. Hiruzen Sarutobi is no longer young enough to pull off such a feat. I've heard tale of someone with powers like the First Hokage's, but I believe Naruto would need to be wearing the First's necklace for that to work. That leaves only two people."

"Itachi's younger brother?" Sasori queried, and Konan knew the three of them were hoping against hope that it was the truth. However, awakening such a strong Sharingan so young was nearly an impossible feat.

"Most likely it was Danzo Shimura."

The name made everyone there go cold, knowing what they did about Itachi's family. Even among the Akatsuki, only a few people were aware of who was behind the ordering of the massacre. The three members there knew the story, and Konan felt as if the air had turned to ice, every breath freezing her lungs. Danzo was the embodiment of everything wrong with the village; he was so loyal he'd turn friend against friend, brother against brother, if it helped the Leaf's cause. What he'd do to and with Naruto, as the Nine-Tailed fox's vessel…

"The only one who could've forced Naruto into that position is Orochimaru," Sasori said, thinking. "I'll summon Kabuto and find out what I can from him. Since Orochimaru is working with Danzo, Kabuto should be able to confirm whether or not he has Naruto."

"And if it is Danzo? What will you do, Pain?" Konan asked, hoping and fearing for a certain answer.

"I will erase the blemish that is the Leaf Village from this earth," Pain answered stonily. "I will seize Naruto back by any means necessary."

Konan looked down at Konoha, which was full of men, women, and children. There was so much potential in the budding youth of the village, with so many young shinobi undecided on who they would become. There was the potential for great, wonderful things, and the potential for heartbreaking, evil things.

"Then, if necessary, I will aid you any way I can," Konan said softly. There was no point in asking herself if her heart could take it or not—no matter what happened, she would bear it. That was all she could do now.

* * *

 _Gaara was lying on his usual roof with Naruto beside him, and Naruto kept pointing out stars and giving them ridiculous names that Gaara knew for a fact were wrong. He let Naruto keep at it though, enjoying how easy it was to be with the other jinchuuriki. This was his best friend, and maybe one of the things best friends were supposed to do was accept a couple mistakes from time to time._

 _"Scared of?" Gaara rolled onto his side to frown at Naruto, wondering what had prompted the question. Naruto was looking at the stars through the cracks in his fingers, which were stretched up as if he wanted to pull a star down. If it was him, he probably could._

 _"Yeah! Like, I dunno, some people are scared of spiders. Or the dark. Or, or, this one's kinda funny, you know, but my older brother Kisame is scared of leeches. I was just wondering if you had anything like that."_

 _"Fears, hm…" Gaara wracked his brain for small, insignificant things he was afraid of, but he didn't really have much reason to be scared of things. His sand would protect him from anything on the outside, and if not, he didn't care much if he got hurt. The things he was scared of were all big things, like someone hurting Naruto or his siblings, or one of them turning against him._

 _"I guess my biggest fear would be…" Even though he wanted to say it was someone he loved getting hurt, he couldn't lie to his best friend. "Myself."_

 _Naruto dropped his hand, tucking it behind his head instead of reaching at the sky. He turned his head a fraction to look at Gaara, and Gaara could see in his eyes that he didn't need to explain any further. Something like this was beyond explaining with words, and it was something only a fellow jinchuuriki could understand, for many different reasons._

 _"Yeah," Naruto said softly, returning his gaze to the moon. "Me too."_

Gaara jerked awake, his eyes flickering open to see the sun cresting over the trees. He'd slept long and hard, something he still appreciated after years of incessant insomnia. Along with Temari and Kankuro, he'd made it to the building in the center of the forest within the day, earning not even a bug bite to show for it. They'd figured out that they were supposed to open the Heaven and Earth Scrolls together, but Gaara hadn't wanted to.

And with good reason—the massive chakra he'd felt had confirmed his beliefs that Naruto had entered the Exams in disguise, and that the disguise was Kaze Naminato. Kaze's outer shell must've been the puppet Naruto had been bragging about making for months; one with a voice changer and the ability to change facial expressions using chakra, like Sasori's Hiruko. He'd hastened to get to where he'd felt the chakra, but there was no time to investigate anything because the place was swarming with Anbu.

He'd decided, along with his siblings, to come back here where they wouldn't be attacked and get some sleep. If the Anbu were swarming the place, Naruto must've gotten out somehow, which meant he was either strong enough to move himself or someone had helped him. There were probably other alternatives, but Gaara didn't care to think of them.

He eased himself to his feet, taking care to be quiet, but Kankuro was a light sleeper and was awake before Gaara could take even one step.

"Headed out without us?" Kankuro asked in disapproval, rubbing his eyes and smudging purple across his face. He looked at his hands in astonishment, then let out a loud groan.

"Dammit, this is going to take a while to redo," he lamented, waking Temari up. She looked from Gaara to Kankuro to Kankuro's hands then burst out laughing, shaking her head.

"And that's why I don't wear makeup."

Gaara had originally planned to rush out the door, but seeing Kankuro and Temari so relaxed and easygoing calmed him down. Even if he was the strongest of the three of them, they were still his older siblings. They had the ability to put at him ease with a few simple sentences and smiles, and deep down he trusted their word more than anything. Yesterday, they'd both assured him that Naruto was strong enough not to let something like this kill him, and he had taken their words as absolute truth.

"Do you have anywhere in particular you want to search?" Temari asked Gaara as she slapped Kankuro's hands away from his face and started applying the makeup for him. Kankuro huffed but sat quietly, his attention turning to Gaara.

"No. He's too unpredictable to focus on any certain spot."

"Alrighty, we'll comb the entire place if we have to!" Kankuro said with a grin, and Gaara was grateful they were helping him even though they didn't know Naruto that well.

After Temari finished fixing Kankuro's face, the three of them started back out into the forest, Gaara alert and watching for danger. They caught glimpses of other ninjas, but most people gave the three of them a wide berth, probably having heard stories of when Gaara was known as 'Gaara of the Sand.' It was still a little disconcerting that his bad reputation preceded his good one anywhere out of the Sand, but it was useful in a situation like this.

They found signs of other ninjas as they went on, some small, burnt out fires and the remains of eaten animals, and any one of the places they found could've housed Gaara's friend at one point. Gaara found himself growing more frustrated as they went on, worry gnawing at him as they found sights of scuffles. Who knew how strong some of the genin were?

It was midafternoon, the sun high enough for rays to break through leaves in some spots, when the Sand siblings finally found something other than a cold trail or passive ninjas. In a clearing near the outskirts of the forest, sounds of a serious scuffle could be heard, and voices were crying out left and right. Gaara got the feeling that it wasn't Naruto—none of the voices were even close—but curiosity drew him on and his siblings followed until they came upon the scene they'd heard.

The group of Leaf ninjas who'd almost gotten destroyed by Naruto earlier were there, the ones with the kind-hearted girl and the dog guy. They were surrounded by ninja from the Sound Village, and though they were doing their best, the Sound shinobi had forced them into a corner with almost visible waves of sound, and were laughing loudly.

"Do you think we should interfere?" Kankuro asked, frowning at the scene. No one in either group had noticed the Sand ninjas yet.

Gaara watched the scene impassively, wondering the same thing. Usually, he didn't interfere in things that didn't involve his friends or the village, but he thought of how the purple-eyed girl had stood up to Kaze despite looking terrified. She'd pushed for peace even though she'd been shaking in her boots, and Gaara could respect that. For a second, his thoughts flashed back to what his father had asked him to do, but he quickly shoved the thought away. He wouldn't think about how this small, weak girl was somehow stronger than the Fourth Kazekage.

To distract himself, he stretched out his hand, and the sand from his gourd shifted eagerly to obey him, flowing like water onto the damp earth. It still took a while for the Sound ninja to notice anything, so when they did it was much too late.

"Wha—what is this?" the girl cried out as Gaara's sand wrapped around the legs of her and her companions. He walked forward as the sand moved up their bodies and they struggled, eyes darting about wildly like prey. He walked with a single, intent purpose, an eerie calm coming over him as he stopped a metre away to regard the trapped ninjas with a cold gaze.

"Is it fun, hurting others?" Gaara asked, squeezing his hand slightly so they were grateful that every breath they took fit inside their compressed lungs. "Do you enjoy causing pain?"

"L-let us go," one of the boys whimpered, and Gaara turned the full force of his eyes on the boy, narrowing them and squeezing even harder. He could hear the sound of bones creak and, distantly, the whimpering of a dog.

"Gaara—" Temari began, but it was the little purple girl who stopped him.

"Please don't hurt them!" she begged, tears pooling in her eyes as she ran up to Gaara and grabbed his arm. "They were mean, but they don't deserve to die that for. Y-you don't need their deaths on your conscious."

"They're your enemies," Gaara said, not taking his eyes off the ever-weakening Sound ninjas. "Why would you waste tears on them?"

"U-um, you said it earlier—you shouldn't fight for fighting's sake! If you hurt them, you'll only cause more pain, like a cycle. I've s-seen it happen. Please, please don't do it."

Her voice was so full of kindness that Gaara almost dropped the Sound shinobi then and there. He hadn't been actually planning to kill them, but he had wanted to put a fear in them they wouldn't soon forget. Instead, he opened his palm slightly, then flicked his wrist so the sand moved up to their arms. The girl he couldn't do much about, but the two boys…

"Stop!" the one boy yelped, seeing what Gaara was planning, but it was too late. Gaara clenched his palms and there was a horrible tearing sound as the things controlling the sound in both boys' arms were shattered. They screamed, writhing against the sand, as Gaara slowly lowered them to the ground. He tilted his gaze towards the Sound girl, who grew pale and took out her scroll, tossing it to him without a word.

"W-why…" the tiny Konoha kunoichi began, and Gaara fixed her with a steady look, holding out the Earth scroll he'd been thrown.

"To end fighting, sometimes we have to hurt others. For some people, pain is the only way to learn that peace is better."

The girl accepted the scroll, swallowing and looking away from him. He could see Temari and Kankuro watching him in concern, but when he gave them a small smile they looked relieved. He joined them and together the three walked away, Gaara looking back only once to see the purple kunoichi surrounded by her comrades, watching him contemplatively.

* * *

The tension in the air at breakfast could be cut with a knife, everyone focusing on eating and avoiding looking each other in the eye. Kaze had woken up again in the morning, but somehow things weren't any easier. In fact, they were much more difficult now because Kaze kept shooting Sakura and Sai dirty looks, and it made everyone were intensely uncomfortable.

"So, Kaze…" Sakura began, but trailed off when he gave her a look cold enough to freeze water. She swallowed and studiously ate her food, acting as if she'd said nothing at all.

"I'm gunna take a bath in the river," Kaze growled, standing up on shaky legs. The arrogance he'd shown towards Sakura and Sai was gone now that he was as weak as a newborn kitten, but the blatant anger that replaced it wasn't any better. At least his killing intent wasn't leaking out, poisoning the air even more.

Sai wasn't sure exactly what was causing the anger, but he could see that it was really bugging his raven-haired teammate. Sasuke sat with his fists tightly balled on his knees and his jaw clenched. He'd tried to talk to Kaze, but the blonde had shut him out completely with Sai and Sakura listening. It was odd, considering the little heart-to-heart Sai had overheard them having last night.

"I'll help you," Sai said with a smile, thinking of how Kaze had mentioned wanting to be Sasuke's friend. They had that in common at least.

"No," Kaze said flatly, hunching up his shoulders and stumbling towards the river. He tripped halfway there, sprawling out on the forest floor, and then stayed there on his hands and knees for a few seconds as if he couldn't get up. Sasuke moved to help him, but Sai put out a hand, stopping him. Sai may not have known a lot about bonds, but he knew that if this atmosphere kept up, all four of them would start fighting amongst each other.

Sasuke's look was sour, as if asking Sai what exactly he intended, but there was no time to explain. Sai made his way over to Kaze and knelt down, slinging one of Kaze's arms over his shoulder. Kaze's eyes were daggers, but he must've really been having problems because he let Sai help him. The two of them made their way down to the water and out of the others' sight, and Sai felt Kaze lean into him more, as if he'd been putting on a show to make Sasuke and Sakura think he was better than he was. Or probably just Sasuke.

"After this," Kaze panted, eyeing the few feet left to get to the water. "After this, I'll go my own way. Being with you guys is a shit show. I hate Leaf shinobi."

"If you hate us all, why do you want to be friends with Sasuke?"

Kaze stiffened up, his lip curling into a snarl as he glared at Sai.

"You were listening in? That's a pretty asshole move."

"It was kind of hard not to, what with how loud you were," Sai said with another fake smile, and Kaze sneered before looking away. The more they moved, the paler he got, and he was now gasping for breath and practically falling into Sai's arms. There was clearly something very wrong, but Sai couldn't diagnose what it was. In all his years at the Root, he'd never heard of someone's skin burning off from the inside out then coming back within a few hours. How was someone _supposed_ to be after something like that?

"I don't… understand…" Kaze gasped out, more to himself than anything. "Wasn't like this… last time…"

He shook his head as if to clear it, his face twisting in pain.

"Do you want me to take your clothes off for you?" Sai asked, although he wasn't sure letting someone like this swim was a good idea. Kaze shoved him away in response, stumbling and just managing to keep his feet.

"Gunna… go onto… water and… wash from there…" Kaze said, taking tiny steps until he got to where the water lapped at the side of the earth. Sai crossed his arms and watched as Kaze tried to build up chakra then step onto the water. But, instead of his foot resting easily on top of the water, it sunk and Kaze let out a strangled cry, falling forward. Sai lunged and grabbed his arm before he could topple into the river, and he fell into a coughing fit so severe that Sai wondered if he'd break his ribs.

"My… chakra…"

Kaze's eyes were wide with horror as he started coughing again, and when he pulled his hand away from his mouth it was bright with blood.

"Do you have some kind of sickness?" Sai asked sharply, studying the young ninja's ashen face. He'd heard of a sickness where strong ninjas started coughing up blood, but Danzo hadn't wanted him to bother with learning about medicines and sicknesses. He was supposed to be a killing machine, and so the only medicines he'd learned were poisons.

"My chakra won't come," Kaze wailed quite suddenly, gripping Sai's arms and looking up at Sai with more fear than Sai had ever seen. "Every time I try, it hurts. What's going o _n_ _? What the fuck is wrong with me?"_

Blood dribbled from his lips and his eyes were wild, his voice raised so much that Sasuke and Sakura came running over the hill. They both came skidding to a halt at the sight of Kaze begging Sai for an answer, his face looking more gray than white now. Sai shook his head mutely, eyes wide, unsure what to say. Kaze looked so much younger now that he wasn't snarling or sneering, and his large blue eyes were even filled with tears.

"I'm fucking useless to them like this," he whimpered, then went into another coughing fit that sent red droplets spattering down onto the earth. Sasuke bolted down the hill as Kaze started to slide down, but Sai was the one who caught him first. The two boys supported the blonde between them as Sakura approached, her panic hidden better than the rest of theirs.

"What happened?" she asked, but there was a tone in her voice like she already knew what their answer would be. She looked immensely tired, as if what she was about to hear was sucking the life from her. Sai caught her glance worriedly at Sasuke, as if wondering how he'd react, but Sasuke was too busy staring dumbfounded at his panicking, coughing rival.

Sai explained the symptoms as best he could, and Sakura seemed to wilt.

"I know what this is," she said quietly, and Kaze's desperate eyes went to her, searching her face. "It's rare, but I've heard that sometimes ninjas who get too strong too fast can damage their internal organs. The chakra network runs close to the blood vessel network, and it matures as you do. If you start getting strong at too rapid a pace, however, your chakra network can't handle the extra flow and pieces of it start to burst. Chakra won't harm you within the network, but it's like blood—if it gets out, it can hurt your internal organs."

"What does that mean?" Kaze asked, spitting more blood.

"Basically, you used so much chakra that you burst a part of your network. Every time you use chakra from now on, it'll damage wherever it's escaping to. With your symptoms, my bet is that it's damaging your lungs or even your heart."

Sasuke and Sai exchanged incredulous glances, while Kaze's head dropped as if someone had just proclaimed a death sentence. Which, in essence, was what Sakura had just done.

"If I… keep using it… what'll happen?" Kaze asked.

"I can't say for sure, but I think…" Sakura swallowed, looking guilty even though it wasn't her fault. "You'll die."


	14. Chapter 13: Friends and Foes

The mood that Gaara walked into was worse than somber. It was like walking into a funeral for dreams, and though the sun shone happily, the four ninja huddled together looked as if there were a rain cloud hovering above them. Nonetheless, Gaara couldn't help his heart from leaping in joy as he finally caught sight of a familiar head of blonde.

"Na—" he began, but then remembered that Naruto couldn't let anyone find out who he was. There were likely already people who knew the Nine-Tails was back in the village, but Gaara wasn't going to give anything away. "Kaze!"

Naruto looked up, and for a second Gaara thought he'd been mistaken. Naruto's eyes were completely dead, the light drained from them as if it had been siphoned away, every last drop. At the corners of his lips were small trails of blood, and his face was paler than it had ever been, his mouth turned down.

"Gaara," Naruto said lifelessly, as if he were one of the puppets Gaara had found in the trees not far from where they stood. The puppets Naruto called Hikami and Hira were remarkably undamaged, except for a sword wound through Hira's body. They'd been in a small copse of trees undamaged from the blast of the crater, and Gaara had taken them, figuring Naruto would need them when he passed the second round. But he didn't look like he even cared about passing now.

"Hey, he's not looking so hot," Kankuro muttered in Gaara's ear, then let out a yelp as Temari smacked him over the head with her fan. Gaara ignored them both, ignored the three Leaf shinobi that were beginning to rise to their feet, and went to stand in front of Naruto. He crossed his arms and looked down at the defeated ninja, who dropped his head as if he couldn't bear to look Gaara in the eye.

"What's going on?" Gaara asked, so focused on only Naruto that the Leaf shinobi didn't even attempt to answer. He crouched down to look his friend, gently putting two fingers under Naruto's chin and tilting his head up.

"I can't use chakra anymore," Naruto answered flatly, and it took Gaara a second to understand what he meant. Gaara knew about the dangers of having a strong chakra because Rasa had forced Chiyo to explain them to him. It was a side effect of getting too strong too fast, but it could also be a side effect of using a Tailed Beast's power. Only…

"Not right now, but he should be able to heal the network," Gaara said, stressing the he so Naruto knew who he meant but no one else did. There was a spark in Naruto's eye as he looked up, curiosity that demanded an answer. "It's also a side effect of power like ours, but we're usually fine because of them. You need to talk to him."

"The fox?"

Gaara recognized the Uchiha Naruto had been teasing in the classroom for the first part of the Exam—and the one who had claimed Naruto was his rival. He was shocked that Naruto had told Sasuke about the fox, but one look at Naruto's face made it obvious he hadn't said a word. They both looked at Sasuke, who tucked his hands into his pockets as if he were uncomfortable.

"When I used my Sharingan, I went into your head. That's how I brought you back," he muttered as if it were no big deal.

"Wait, my head? What did you see in there?"

"I'll answer you if you answer some questions for me," Sasuke countered. Naruto frowned in agitation and turned back to Gaara.

"We'll deal with all of that later. Are you sure I need to see him?"

Gaara nodded, and before anyone else could talk, Naruto closed his eyes and went to a place no one wanted to follow him to.

* * *

"Kurama," came a tiny, familiar voice, echoing around the dark cavern and seeming to carry on forever. Kurama chuckled deep in his throat as he cracked an eye; he'd been expecting Naruto Uzumaki to make an appearance sooner or later. The young blonde stood before him now, looking much like a young Minato as he glared defiantly up at the massive fox. He was one of the most fascinating vessels Kurama had ever been bound to, and certainly the most conflicted one. The business with the Akatsuki and Zetsu was the most interesting thing Kurama had been a part of since Hagoromo.

" **Ah, little one,** " Kurama taunted, rising from his sleeping position to tower over Naruto. The bars that separated them always seemed so flimsy; Kurama could just imagine reaching out and shredding his vessel with one claw. But no, to be honest, he enjoyed the story Naruto was part of. Naruto Uzumaki perpetually stood on the line between darkness and light.

"Gaara said your power should heal me from this," Naruto growled, stepping closer. It was funny how worthless Naruto thought he was when he had no chakra. He had no idea how much the world depended on his living or dying.

" **If you rip the seal off, it will,** " Kurama said with a large, wily smile that was all teeth. Naruto was less than amused.

"Fix it or we'll both die. Orochimaru isn't dead yet and if I move on in the Exams, he'll find out I have no chakra and come after me."

" **The problem with that, little one, is that I can't fix it.** "

Naruto looked startled, as if he hadn't known there were things Kurama couldn't do.

"B-but… you've got insane power! You've gotta be able to fix it! You're the one who caused it!"

" **What I mean is, if I attempt to fix it you'll die. My chakra needs to flow through you for me to fix it, but if my chakra flows through you now it will destroy your internal organs. The only way I can fix it is if you can find someone with precise medical knowledge that can block the hole in your network while I fix it.** "

Naruto considered this. He thought about everything so seriously—from this to leaving with Itachi to making a deal with the devil himself.

"So I just need to find someone like that?" Naruto asked, sounding relieved, as if it were an easy job. Kurama doubted it would be easy as all that—even Chiyo, who'd healed Naruto's skin before, probably wouldn't have the precision to do that. It was annoying not having someone around who could heal the kid's skin; after the battle, his network had been weakened, and it was Kurama's attempt to heal his skin that had punched a hole in it. If Naruto wanted to be able to fully utilize Kurama's power without this side effect, he needed to find someone who could heal his burns.

" **Yes. Do not use your chakra until then either; if you die, I will as well. Of course, you could always pull the seal off as a last resort.** "

Naruto didn't dignify that with an answer; he only snorted and closed his eyes, his mind going back to the outside world. Kurama settled back down to watch, and to wait.

* * *

Naruto came back to himself with a start, looking around at everyone who had crowded him, watching curiously.

"Hellshit!" he yelled out, falling back from the faces. Gaara and Sasuke both huffed out laughs which, after a moment, the rest of the group joined. Naruto was looking better now that he wasn't trying to use his chakra and he'd gotten some rest, and he was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as everyone laughed at him.

While he'd been talking to Kurama Team 7 had filled the Sand siblings in on what happened. The one who'd been the most shocked had been Kankuro; he'd been even more shocked than when they'd found Hira and Hikami. Finding out someone in the Exam was using human puppets had stunned him, but when Gaara had explained that Naruto had been training with puppets for years Kankuro had calmed down. He'd seen how lifeless the puppets were back during the first part of the Exam, so he'd thought maybe Naruto couldn't do much with them. Hearing that Naruto was so proficient with them, Gaara could see that Kankuro was truly shaken. It was alright though; he knew his brother would recover and determine to grow even stronger.

"So what exactly were you doing with your eyes closed?" the pink haired kunoichi—someone had mentioned her name was Sakura—asked Naruto.

"Like I'm gunna tell some shitty Leaf kunoichi!" Naruto yelled, and Sakura suddenly did something Gaara had never thought anyone would do; she smoked Naruto right in the face with a nice left hook. Since he hadn't been expecting it and he couldn't use any chakra to soften the blow, Naruto tumbled a few feet back and ended up with a face full of dirt.

"O-ow," Naruto gasped out, and Sakura's face suddenly grew pale, remorse plain on her features.

"I'm so sorry, Kaze, it was a reflex. I mean, you kinda deserved it, but I didn't mean to hit you while you're already wounded."

Naruto laid in the dirt for a few more seconds, then sat up, rubbing his cheek and spitting out soil. There was a new gleam in his eye now, though Gaara doubted anyone else noticed or, if they did, understood why. Gaara understood; Sakura's punch meant she was no longer disgusted and terrified by Naruto, and that was a wonderful feeling.

"I'll forgive you, but only because you're kinda hot," Naruto sniffed. Sakura seemed surprised at his friendliness, then she offered him a hesitant smile, which he returned just as hesitantly. After a second, he turned his smile on Sai.

"Um, Sai, was it? You were pretty cool about me being sick, so I guess we don't have any reason to be enemies. Are we good?"

"You're pretty friendly now that you don't have any chakra and you're basically as helpless as a wet kitten," Sai said with a sparkling smile. Naruto's grin turned into a scowl and he crossed his arms, but Gaara knew the posture as a more playful one than anything. Could this mean there was hope for Naruto's deep hatred of Konoha leaving?

"You had us worried yet again, you loser," Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes, and when Naruto looked at Sasuke Gaara was surprised to find respect in his eyes. Had Naruto really accepted a Leaf genin as his rival? Today was truly an amazing day if that was the case, even if that genin was the younger brother of the person Naruto loved most in the world.

"I hate to break up this little party, but I don't think we should broadcast the news that Kaze has no chakra to the entire forest," Temari suddenly said, as usual the most practical one of them all. "Our team's already collected a couple of extra scrolls, so why don't we all head back to the centre building? And while we're going there, we should probably figure out how Kaze is supposed to pull off having two teammates while he has no chakra."

That shut everyone up, and Naruto himself looked a little green as he thought.

"Uh, also… I need my disguise. I think my puppet got totally fucking killed when I fought Orochimaru, and it's not like I can do a transformation jutsu or anything."

"You are so high maintenance," Sasuke muttered, smirking when Naruto started yelling unintelligible words. But it was true; they had a lot of stuff they needed to puzzle out.

"Yo, please don't kill us," a voice called and as one seven dangerous ninjas turned, ready to kill whoever had spoken. Until the person who had spoken stepped out of the bush along with his two teammates. The guy Gaara recognized from the time some ninjas had tried to bully them, and he couldn't help his eyes from going to Temari. She'd mentioned at least twice that he seemed cool, which was a big deal for her. Now she looked as if she'd just discovered a pleasant surprise, her eyes narrowing and her mouth fighting a smile.

"I overheard some of what you were saying. You said you had some extra scrolls, right? Well, my name is Shikamaru Nara, and I think I can help."

* * *

It took everyone the next two days to get Shikamaru's plan ready, leaving them with one day to get to the centre building. Getting Kaze's puppet body back had been a chore; they'd had to go back to where Kaze's puppet had been destroyed and collect as many of the pieces as they could. Kaze had worked with Kankuro day and night to mend the puppet and fill the pieces in, and by the end he was looking bad again, plus he'd somehow managed to break every single finger since his bones hadn't completely healed.

"It's not that bad," Kaze muttered now, while Temari's younger brother helped wrap his fingers. It was odd, but in the past two days the three squads plus Kaze had gotten closer than Temari would've thought was possible. The Leaf genin were actually alright, and even Kaze had stopped with his dirty looks after seeing them all help him out. Gaara was the root of the kindness—he was the one who offered scrolls to anyone who helped—and for a while Temari had been pretty mad about that. After all, Kaze had been a rude little brat to her younger brother the last time they'd all met.

But Kaze and Gaara had a long chat during one of Kaze and Kankuro's breaks, and the two of them had ended up hugging it out. It was a ridiculous solution for boys—Temari always thought boys fought it out—but somehow it suited her gentle-hearted younger brother.

"Not that bad? Every single finger is broken!" Kankuro cried now, shaking his head in distress. "Even if you can't use chakra, it's still a puppet master's worst nightmare! You can't even use wire now!"

They started squabbling about it as Kankuro helped Kaze back into his puppet body, and Temari was so tired of their squabbling by this point that she left to take a break from it. When she was far enough away that she could no longer hear them, she took a seat and started shining her fan, so ready to use it in the next round.

"Hey," a familiar voice said, and Temari hid a grin as she looked up to find Shikamaru leaning against a tree next to her. He was lazy as hell and had no ambition whatsoever, but there was something about him that Temari just found innately likeable. As brilliant as he was, he was never thinking about getting ahead or stepping on other people to increase his success; he was mostly focused on doing only what was absolutely necessary and doing it quick so he could relax afterwards.

"Shikamaru Nara," Temari greeted with a slight nod, going back to cleaning her fan.

"Everyone back there is super annoying," Shikamaru sighed, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder. "I mean, we could do this plan in like seven hours if it weren't for their arguing. Kaze and Sasuke especially, they're always going at it. I know it's friendly or whatever but it wastes so much time. It's such a drag."

"I hope everyone back there doesn't include me," Temari said, arching an eyebrow. Shikamaru frowned at her, then crouched down as if standing for so long tired him.

"Nah, you're not so bad, I guess. You contributed more to the plan than anyone else."

Temari watched him look up at the clouds and wondered why he'd bothered to come talk to her. The only person he seemed to like talking to was his friend Choji, but since Choji was often around the noisy people, Shikamaru came out here. He could've avoided her, but instead he came and talked to her every time he saw her. It was a nice thought, that he liked talking to her. He wasn't as good looking as Sasuke, but it wasn't like he was a bad catch. She bit her lip to hold back a laugh, wondering what he'd say if he knew what she was thinking.

"Do you think it'll work?" she asked, brushing some sand from her fan. No matter how much she cleaned it, there always seemed to be sand stuck in it.

"I'm putting at our chances at a solid eighty percent, which is probably the best we're going to get at this point."

Temari nodded and set her fan down, looking up to watch the clouds with Shikamaru in a comfortable silence. After a moment, Shikamaru let out another long sigh and turned to face her.

"Do you play shogi?" he asked unexpectedly. Temari blinked, wondering where he was going with this. He didn't look like the kind of guy to do anything unexpectedly, so whatever he was asking was something he'd obviously been planning for a bit.

"Not often. I don't have many people to play it with," Temari answered cautiously, tapping her fingers along her fan.

"Yeah, sand getting in the shogi board would probably be a bother to clean." A beat. Then: "You seem like you might be alright at it, is all. If you're ever up for a game, I mean, it probably wouldn't be too much of a drag to play together."

It was the most unromantic thing Temari had ever heard, and she loved it. She looked back up at the clouds, imagining the peaceful clacks of pieces being put down and Shikamaru's stumped face as she made a move he couldn't counter. She smiled.

"I'd like that."

* * *

"Are you ready, Jiraiya?" Sarutobi asked, shrugging on his Hokage robe and picking up the headband that had sat in his desk for years. He felt a twinge of sorrow as he looked at it; he'd never have imagined he'd be delivering it under these circumstances. He'd truly believed there could be peace after the last Great Ninja War, but things still hadn't changed, not really.

"I am," Jiraiya said, looking serious for the first time in a long time. Today could be the day both of them died, if this didn't go well. Jiraiya was already prepared to enter Sage Mode if need be, and Sarutobi held a kunai to prick himself if he needed to do an immediate summoning. Though he hoped it wouldn't come to that, he had no idea how things would go.

"Thank you for coming with me," Sarutobi sighed, wishing he didn't have to put his student in this position. It seemed all people did nowadays was sacrifice others to keep the Leaf running. "If things begin to get out of hand, I'll be counting on you."

"If things get out of hand, I'll have Gamabunta to help us too. We won't let this village be destroyed without a fight."

"Nobody will," Sarutobi said grimly, but if things came to a fight he feared there wasn't a soul alive who could stop the true power of the one they were going to see. They both pressed their hands on the scroll Iruka was supposed to touch, then nodded to each other as they felt the familiar pull of a summoning. In a puff of smoke, they had disappeared from the Hokage's chambers.

When the smoke finally cleared the next time, they stood at the final site of the second part of the Chuunin Exams. Beneath their feet were Heaven and Earth scrolls, and in front of them stood three young ninjas.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi," the one in the middle said. "This Exam just keeps getting better."

Then Kaze Naminato—who was actually none other than the Nine-Tailed jinchuuriki Naruto Uzumaki—smiled.


	15. Chapter 14: Heart vs Heart

So this was Minato's son. Jiraiya knew immediately that this wasn't Naruto's true appearance—the person in front of him was too old, his face too cruel and resembling neither Minato nor Kushina. Strangely, however, there did seem to be an Uzumaki influence in the face—the colour of the hair, the tilt of the jaw, the curve of the nose… Jiraiya recoiled as he realized who the face resembled. It was slightly similar to Nagato, with an eye shape like someone from the Sand Village

"Where did you find that face?" Jiraiya asked, his eyes narrowing. Naruto tilted his head to one side, a terrifying smile on his features.

"Do you like it? I carved it myself."

It was a puppet then—and with the lack of any chakra from either of Naruto's companions, Jiraiya was certain they were also puppets. It was strange though; Naruto seemed to lack chakra too, and Jiraiya couldn't sense any chakra strings. On closer examination, he could see Naruto had actually tied thin wire around his fingers and to the puppets, even though his fingers seemed to be bent oddly.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Sarutobi breathed, and Jiraiya could hear a profound, aching grief in his voice. The Third felt personally responsible for the person Naruto had become, after Minato had entrusted his son's future to the Leaf Village. Sarutobi had tried to speak to villagers who remembered the Nine-Tails about how they treated the young jinchuuriki, but no one had listened. They needed something—or someone—to pin their grief and blame on, so they'd pinned it all on the shoulders of someone who should by all rights be considered a hero.

"Hiruzen—I can call you by your first name, right? It's not like you deserve my respect—I'm glad you're here. I've wanted to look you in the eye for a super long time. I mean, it's not every day you meet someone who's such a huge, walking cause of despair."

Sarutobi winced, and Jiraiya put a hand on the old man's shoulder to steady him, levelling his gaze at Naruto. He was tempted to put an end to this cocky kid here and now, but something told him that attempting that would be a very bad idea. Still, something was off.

"Where's your—"

"Chakra?" Naruto asked. He laughed, loud and rough, shaking his head as if it were an uproariously funny question. "It's fucking gone! Can you believe that shit? It deserted me! Poof, all gone!"

He reached into the sleeve of an odd-looking cloak, which looked like it had been fashioned from patches of other clothes, and both the Third and Jiraiya tensed, expecting a kunai or shuriken. Instead, he pulled out a lollipop. He took his sweet time unwrapping it, the tension in the air building as he did so, then tossed the wrapper on the ground.

"Naruto, I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to come with us," Sarutobi said, a quiet authority radiating from his voice. "It's unacceptable to have someone as strong as yourself in the Chuunin Exams, and we have a lot to discuss with you."

"Didn't you hear me, though?" Naruto laughed, his voice muffled around his lollipop. "I don't have any chakra. I'm as harmless as a… fox."

"If you don't come with us now, we'll have to take you by force," Jiraiya growled. "I don't understand where your confidence is coming from. You've got no chakra and nothing to bargain with."

"Huuuuh?" Naruto asked, sounding annoyed now. "Are you two old guys senile already?"

He took the lollipop out of his mouth, ignoring the cracking of his bones and the way it shifted his puppets, and tilted the lollipop in their direction as if directing them.

"I have the entire village held hostage."

Sarutobi and Jiraiya stared, and the tension in the room grew. If it were anyone other than Minato's son, Jiraiya would've laughed in their face and called them a brat. But the joking, easy manner that hid a darker undercurrent reminded Jiraiya of a darker Minato, who had absolute confidence that he would win.

"It's impossible for you to defeat the two of us, even if you unleash the power of the Nine-Tails," Sarutobi said finally, but he didn't sound as convinced as he should.

"But I. Told. You. I've got no fuckin' chakra! I couldn't release the power of the Nine-Tails if I wanted to!"

"Look, brat, quit messing around and get to the point already. I've got hot springs to spy on and girls who need attention!"

Jiraiya had finally decided that this kid was nothing like Minato, and that he was basically just cracked. There wasn't any danger radiating from him, and the only thing Jiraiya could see he had for sure was dangerous information. Whoever had given it to him was probably a huge threat, but there was no way the kid himself could be. Until he started laughing a low, dark laugh, that seemed to resonate throughout the room. There was something in it that wasn't a kid's laugh, something much darker.

"Funny," Naruto growled, not looking up. His eyes were shadowed beneath his hair now, so Jiraiya couldn't tell what the smirk on his lips meant, but he no longer sounded like found anything humorous. "Four years with some of the strongest shinobi in the history of the world, and you think I'm just some brat."

Jiraiya could remember Sarutobi's expression as the Third had told Jiraiya his suspicions about where Naruto was the entire time. After feeling the chakra of the Nine-Tails, Jiraiya had found Sarutobi before his old sensei could come looking, and they'd discussed Naruto in length. Sarutobi had mentioned Itachi and the Akatsuki with trepidation, and Jiraiya had gotten a chill. He'd banished it immediately, but he felt the same chill now, especially thinking about how the puppet could mean Naruto had met Nagato.

"I don't need chakra to visit Kurama," Naruto said, and when he looked up his eyes were… insane. The rest of his face was intensely happy, but his eyes were completely void of all emotion, as if he had truly become a puppet. One thing was for sure—he was dancing on _someone's_ strings. "Oh, that's the fox's name, by the way! Kurama. I've visited him before, and you know, my dad was a great fucking guy. Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, the guy you let die for you."

Sarutobi said nothing, but Jiraiya could see him struggling with pain. Jiraiya himself was stunned into silence, remembering the Fourth's easy smile and gentle mannerisms. How had he and Kushina produced this person? No… it wasn't Minato and Kushina's influence at all. It was their complete lack of influence that produced the boy in front of him.

"Nothing to say? That's alright, I didn't expect anything. It's not like you opened your mouth when your village shunned, beat, and hated me. It's not like you opened your mouth when Itachi Uchiha was forced to slaughter his entire clan. Or when Danzo conspired to kill Yahiko. Or when Kakashi Hatake's father killed Sasori's parents. Or when Kakashi himself killed Rin. Or… well, do I need to go on? There are soooo many things, and I don't want to give away all my knowledge!"

Sarutobi was shaking, and Jiraiya wanted to comfort him, but he couldn't even get himself together. Naruto's words were all daggers, piercing into the hearts of the two men he spoke to. Jiraiya had never met anyone who could speak so potently, with such awful intent to hurt. It was like Naruto could peer into a person's heart, strip away all barriers, and find the one thing that could do the most damage.

"Oops, I got a little sidetracked, sorry. Anyway, what I was saying was, I can't release Kurama's power now. But good ol' Dad left the seal entirely breakable from my side, so I don't need to release Kurama's power. If you get in my way, I'll release Kurama himself."

To know how to get to the inner chamber where the seal was… especially at this age… Naruto was truly an exceptional shinobi.

"We may not look like much, but we have the power to seal the Nine-Tails," Jiraiya said, suddenly feeling very old. If Naruto had been on the side of the Leaf Village, Jiraiya could actually picture training him to his full potential. He'd show Naruto how to use the power to see into hearts, show him how to talk someone out of their hatred. Naruto would be a blend of Minato and Kushina, gentle and happy but with a stubborn, loud streak. If Itachi would've left Naruto here, maybe things could've turned out better. However now it was looking more and more like they'd have to kill the Fourth's son.

"Yes," Naruto allowed, as if he'd expected that. "But… if you do that, who's going to stop Orochimaru from destroying the village?"

Both men froze, watching the boy in front of them incredulously. Naruto put the lollipop back into his mouth, making a face.

"Aw, it feels all weird when it's been out of your mouth for a while. Like air-flavoured for a bit or something, and the air in here tastes fuckin' _vile._ But, but, I'll still eat it because I love lollipops! Konan buys them for me because she says I should have something to remind me to be a kid once in a while."

"Naruto," Sarutobi said heavily. "I'm sorry."

Naruto's eyes went wide and he tilted his head to the side, his expression growing even emptier as his voice grew more chipper. The effect was horrifying.

"If you open your mouth now, when everyone's already dead, the next time my mouth opens will be when Kurama's biting your fucking head off, you son of a bitch."

It was all said in the most pleasant tone possible. Jiraiya hadn't thought it was possible to meet someone creepier than Orochimaru, but he'd been wrong. In all his years of living and travelling, he'd never come across someone like this. Naruto sounded like he was genuinely immature and excited about something as small as a lollipop. Yet the words he spoke were so filled with evil intent that there could be no mistake how serious he was. He was a kid, but not one who played games.

"Then I won't try to make things better," Sarutobi said gravely. "Perhaps it is too late for this generation to find favour in your heart. I only ask that you consider the next generation completely separate from us old shinobi set in our ways. See them as people other than our children, for their sake and yours."

With those words, Sarutobi reached into his pocket and pulled out the headband Jiraiya had seen him examining before they'd come to see Naruto. He held it out, but he didn't seem to hold much hope.

"This was your father's. No matter where you go or what you do, I believe you will always be a Leaf shinobi."

Naruto reached out and took the headband, his fingers cracking painfully as the curled around it. He examined it, flipping it over, and looked back at Sarutobi. All playfulness and pretense was gone.

"You're right, Hiruzen. I will always be a Leaf shinobi. For the rest of my life, I'll have to carry the darkness of this Jashin-forsaken village around. And trust me, if you're dark enough to be forsaken by Jashin, you're truly fearsome."

Naruto tucked the headband into his sleeve instead of wearing it. Jiraiya didn't understand why Sarutobi looked so relieved, but there was no time to question it. Sarutobi explained to Naruto how to get to the preliminaries for the third round of the Exams, and there were no more words exchanged between them as Naruto used his broken figures to rouse his puppets and leave the room. Jiraiya wanted to stop him, to tell him to leave the village he so clearly hated before it destroyed him, but Naruto was right; he held the entire village hostage. If he released Kurama, the entire village would be destroyed. Even if Sarutobi and Jiraiya managed to subdue the beast, it would weaken them and Orochimaru would take that chance to crush Konoha.

"He is everything I feared, and everything I hoped," Sarutobi said suddenly, looking immensely tired.

"Fear I can understand, but hope?" Jiraiya asked, his heart squeezing painfully. He sent a silent apology to Minato, wondering if the Fourth was regretting his decision of making Jiraiya Naruto's godfather. He should've been around more. Or he should've taken Naruto with him. He should've done something.

"He hates the village, yes, but he will never have a better chance of destroying us than now," Sarutobi pointed out. "With both him and Orochimaru looking for Konoha's destruction, by all rights the village should be broken already. However, for whatever reason, he's fighting Orochimaru instead of us. I've heard tell of Orochimaru betraying the Akatsuki, and I believe that is the reason he's here. Not to avenge himself, but to stop a traitor from hurting the people he loves."

"Loving the Akatsuki isn't a good thing," Jiraiya sighed, wondering if Naruto was right and the old man truly was going senile.

"You're wrong, Jiraiya. Naruto having somebody to love is a good thing, no matter who it is. Love is what keeps us all human. He may be full of rage and hatred, but he is no monster. _That_ is why I have hope. A monster's heart cannot be changed, but a human's heart can. As long as he loves, there is still hope for Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

After meeting with their old sensei Iruka, who had told them how much they'd grown then sent them to the spot the third part of the Exam was taking place in, Sasuke was ridiculously pleased to see that Kaze was alright. And by ridiculous, he meant annoyingly ridiculous, because he shouldn't be happy to see someone who was such an idiot. The problem was the amount of fun they had training together, and how in sync their banter was.

"So whoever showed up didn't notice your puppet strings?" Sasuke asked as Kaze came to stand beside him. It was an odd disconnect, seeing the face of a man he'd thought of as terrifying while thinking of the face of his moronic trainer. He could no longer consider Kaze a serious threat, especially after having the small blonde snoring loudly on his lap for an entire night. That and the drool had really put things in perspective.

"Guess not!" Kaze answered cheerfully, but there was something off in his voice, like when he'd trailed off in the middle of talking during their training sessions. There were a hundred things Sasuke still wanted to ask Kaze—from what the fox was, to who Kaze really was, to where he came from, to if he actually did know Itachi—but first they had to finish the Exams.

"Hey… you're going to do what we discussed, right?" Sasuke asked, suddenly suspicious. They'd all agreed that Kaze and his team were supposed to give up as soon as it was offered, but Kaze seemed just a little too upbeat for someone who was going to give up.

"Haha, I was thinking it over, and I thought that maybe—"

"You're the stupidest person on the face of the earth? Because that would be a much better thought than thinking you—a chakra-less, sick ninja with broken fingers—should continue on with the Exams. Give it up. I'll fight you when you're better if you want, but right now risking your life for this is a dumb move."

"…Sasuke, I know I shouldn't say this, but hearing you talk like that only makes me want to fight more," Kaze said, and now his eyes were positively blazing with excitement. Sasuke resisted the urge to punch him upside the head, but only barely. "It's a perfect handicap! Besides, we haven't seen each other in real fights, and how are we supposed to be good rivals to each other if we don't know each others' styles?"

Sasuke grudgingly admitted it was a fair point, if only in his head. Outwardly, he glared stubbornly at Kaze and said nothing, willing his rival to back down.

"I will now explain the third and final part to the Chuunin Exams," the Third Hokage said on stage, and Kaze turned away as if glad for the distraction. Sasuke inwardly sighed; there was nothing he could do to make Kaze give up, and deep down he knew he actually wanted to see Kaze fight and maybe fight the guy himself.

His worry was the only thing keeping him from being beyond eager; looking around and seeing Neji, Lee, Gaara, and other strong shinobi was getting him fired up. Here was finally something he could use to test himself against the best, and even worrying about Kaze couldn't quench that. In fact, the looks Kaze kept shooting him made him even more impatient to get to the fights the Third was explaining.

The Third seemed to be looking straight as Kaze as he explained the 'true purpose of the Exam;' to act as miniature war so the allied lands could show off their power to noblemen to earn higher commissions. Sasuke knew vaguely that the economical state of Konoha wasn't the best, so the Third probably hoped the Leaf genin would do well. But then the Third went on, saying that the actual true purpose had to do with friendship. Sasuke leaned closer, wondering what he meant, but he was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of the third part of the Exam's proctor.

The sick, gentle-looking man coughed into his palm and looked out over the genin with a slight frown.

"Umm, we can't move onto the third part of the Exam because we have too many applicants," he said in a quiet, slightly surprised voice. "I know the second part of the Exam was physically tough on a lot of you, but we still have too many applicants. We'll have to start preliminaries now to determine which of you get to move on."

Sasuke was completely fine with that, although he thought now more than ever that Kaze should resign. But when the proctor offered to let people resign, none of the four hands that went up were Kaze's. At the exact moment Kaze used his strings to make his puppets raise their hands, Temari's hand twitched and a sudden wind picked up. Gaara didn't move, but flecks of sand swirled from the gourd on his back and then everyone was rubbing their eyes, muttering about getting sand in their eyes. The Exam proctor coughed again, squinting out at Kaze's puppets, not noticing the strings with his eyes blurred.

"Uhh, let's see… Hira Ran, Hikami Noyo, Kabuto Yakushi, and Yoroi Akado. Anyone else?"

Frankly, Sasuke was surprised anyone would volunteer to resign after what they'd had to go through to get here, but to each their own he guessed. He glanced at Kaze, who was visibly shaking in excitement now even though he was all broken. Gaara, who stood on Kaze's other side, was giving Kaze one of the scariest glares Sasuke had ever seen, so Sasuke quickly looked away. Who would he fight? Who would Kaze fight? What if it was each other?

"Ahh, okay, so we'll get started, I suppose. The names up on the display board are going to be who's fighting. For our first round…"

Two names popped up on the board, and Sasuke's heart began to pound. Things were about to get interesting.

 _Sasuke Uchiha vs. Dosu Kinuta._

* * *

Sasuke had an unfair advantage, in Hayate's professional opinion. The Sound ninja Dosu's arms were both completely destroyed, but Sasuke didn't let up for a second. He used the Sharingan from the get-go, pushed Dosu into a corner with a huge fireball jutsu, then utterly annihilated the guy with taijutsu so fast Hayate had to actually pay attention to see what was going on. It was odd, though… Sasuke's fighting style wasn't reminiscent of Konoha's taijutsu. It was closer to the Hidden Mist's, all slippery grace and feints within feints.

When Dosu was finished, lying on the ground and not even groaning, Hayate called the fight in Sasuke's favour. Sasuke's smile was edged with fire as he turned to look up at the stands, facing another boy with red hair who looked slightly older.

"Not bad, you bastard!" the redhead yelled. "I mean, obviously not as good as me, but that Sharingan was a nice touch!"

Sasuke smirked, full of self-assurance, and left the battlefield to take his place with his teammates and the redhead whose teammates had given up. Hayate thought back to his conversation with Yugao the morning before, about watching out for the new Leaf genin. In each others' arms, with Yugao running her hands through his hair while he twirled a lock of hers around his finger, she had whispered jokingly that he should see if he could find anyone she could recruit into the Black Ops. As someone who had direct contact with the Third, she could put in requests for someone she found a good candidate and Sarutobi would listen carefully.

Hayate knew she was understaffed and running on fumes—plus there was something bothering her that she couldn't talk about because it was classified—so now he'd decided to take her joke seriously. Sasuke Uchiha wouldn't be half bad as an Anbu. He was cocky, but Yugao could deal with that easily.

He came back to himself as the next fight appeared on screen.

 _Choji Akimichi vs. Shino Aburame._

This fight took longer, but only a little. The plumper kid lost by a mile after losing all his chakra. He'd rolled around, trying to bounce on the bug kid, but it was futile against the chakra-eating insects that started sticking to him. Hm… Choji didn't seem like a good candidate, but the bug kid could be a tracker. Hayate doubted the Aburame Clan would appreciate the Black Ops trying to take their bug master, though, so maybe not a great candidate either.

 _Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankuro._

Hayate had honestly thought the stretchy kid would win, but the fact that Kankuro was a puppet master made him perhaps the worst opponent in the world for Misumi. Puppet masters were sure terrifying people, and for stealth missions they'd probably be fantastic. Sadly, Kankuro wasn't from Konoha, and Misumi was all broken up from Kankuro's puppet, so neither of them fit the bill.

 _Sakura Haruno vs. Zaku Abumi._

The pink haired girl had looked weak even against another broken-armed Sound ninja, but she was shockingly good. Hayate was duly impressed when she used chakra control to strengthen her fist and punch Zaku halfway across the room. From the stands, Hayate caught a glimpse of the Hyuuga kid using his Byakugan and gaping in astonishment. Hayate turned his attention back to the girl, who was standing there breathing lightly. The Sound ninja got up again, wincing and spitting blood, but yelling about how he couldn't lose because he had something important to do.

Sakura didn't move; she kept standing where she was, her eyes growing more ferocious and her stance dropping into a defensive one as Zaku rushed her. Hayate saw the Hyuuga kid shaking his head and gesturing wildly to Sakura, talking to his other teammates, and he knew that things weren't boding well for the Sound shinobi.

"I won't lose! I have something I need to protect at all costs!" Zaku yelled as he ran, all guts and stubbornness.

"And you think I don't?" Sakura roared. When she slammed her fist into the ground in front of him, the entire arena rumbled. People threw up their hands as chunks of rock and debris flew up from the ground. Hayate squinted into the dust as soon as the shockwaves stopped, and what he saw made him glad he was on Konoha's side. There was a massive hole in the ground where Sakura had punched, and Zaku had been thrown completely across the room in the blast. He was now sitting limply in a hole in one of the arena's walls, unconscious.

Chakra control like that was insanely hard to do, even for jounin. Sakura's teammates and the redhead with them all stared with their mouths hanging open, and Sakura let out a small laugh as she brushed dust off of her shoulders.

"Do I win?" she prompted Hayate, and he quickly declared her the winner. Yugao would be extremely excited to hear about this one—her skills were on par with Uchiha's, plus she had the basics down to a T.

 _Tenten vs. Temari._

Another terrible matchup for a Leaf ninja. Tenten looked like her attacks would be extremely accurate if she were fighting anyone else, but the Sand kunoichi took her down with an ease that was almost scary. She looked cold and arrogant, but when a Leaf ninja with a ponytail called 'Nice,' her face grew softer. Hayate fought back a smile; he recognized that look. This girl was slightly like Yugao then. Sadly, she was also a Sand shinobi, and Tenten had completely fallen apart without even trying to improvise after seeing how useless her attacks were.

 _Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi._

The kid with the ponytail who'd softened the Sand kunoichi's face wasn't too bad. In fact, the way he defeated the Sound kunoichi was probably the most ninja-like way anyone had fought the entire time. It wasn't flashy or terribly impressive, but there was more thought behind it than Hayate had thought a kid would have. Yugao would probably really like Shikamaru, so Hayate would mention him to her even if he doubted someone so lazy would want to become an Anbu member.

 _Hinata Hyuuga vs. Neji Hyuuga._

What a brutal match. The poor girl never stood a chance, but she kept getting back up. Neji Hyuuga was merciless, hitting every chakra point until the girl was coughing blood and barely able to stand. But still, she stood again.

"I want our branches to have peace," she panted out, her eyes hard and determined. "For that, I'll fight you until you understand."

Neji seemed shaken by her show of courage, and he was unnecessarily cruel in taking her down. But she got back up yet again, single-minded in her pursuit of peace. Hayate could see that this fight wasn't going to end well, and he quickly called it Neji's win—Hinata could use no more chakra anyway—but Neji didn't seem to hear him. Hayate lunged forward as Neji went to use the final strike, the one that would undoubtedly kill Hinata, but the one who stopped the fight wasn't Hayate. It was the other redheaded Sand kid, the one Hayate knew as Gaara.

"You've done enough," Gaara said sharply as Neji's fingers struck sand instead of skin. Neji tsked under his breath, but Gaara ignored him and turned back to Hinata. Before he could say a word, Hinata coughed out a huge amount of blood and collapsed. As she lay on the ground, Gaara knelt over her, and he was extremely gentle as he took the hand she reached out to him with.

"Do you… think I… changed… anything…" Hinata whispered in between laboured breaths, her eyes filling with tears as she looked up at Gaara. His face was infinitely kind as he looked back at her and nodded.

"You put everything you had into that fight, and through your pain, I think he'll come to understand. You've done all you can; it's up to him to now to choose the path out of darkness. You can rest knowing you did all you could."

Looking relieved and even slightly happy, she did as Gaara said. Hayate decided Hyuuga's were too emotionally intense to become Anbu, although he would mention Hinata's bravery to her.

 _Gaara vs. Rock Lee._

Compared to the last fight, this one was almost comradely. The two seemed to immensely enjoy it, even when it got intense.

"You are truly a fearsome opponent!" Lee laughed as he dropped the weights from his legs. Gaara's eyes widened and he pressed his hands together to bring the sand closer. Lee was even faster than the sand, lashing out with formidable purpose and breaking through Gaara's defenses. Gaara was kicked up in the air, and Lee used the Hidden Lotus. Unfortunately for him, Gaara had substituted the hell out of there.

"As are you," Gaara said from behind Lee, his sand knocking the Leaf shinobi down. But Lee still had one last trick up his sleeves; opening the first of the Eight Gates. Hayate was blown away; just how strong were the genin of this year? Almost every single one of them possessed a power that could someday be legendary.

Lee almost won the fight in the end, but the Lotus and the Gates took too much of a toll on his body. After failing to finish Gaara off with another Lotus, he was on his knees, panting heavily. Hayate quickly called the match in Gaara's favour, remembering stories about how Gaara could be overcome by bloodlust. But after he called the match, Gaara walked up to Lee and offered his hand to help the other ninja up.

"Why are you helping me? A loser like me, who could not even beat a single person."

Lee's disappointment was palpable, and Hayate could see Might Guy straining not to go to his student. It must've been hard, having his confidence completely crushed under the sand. But Gaara used sand to gingerly lift Lee's hand into his own, then he pulled Lee up and let Lee lean against him.

"You're no loser, Rock Lee," Gaara said quietly. "I'm helping you because I truly enjoyed our fight, and someday I hope we can repeat it under friendlier circumstances. You're a splendid shinobi, and I recognize you as such as a representative of the Sand Village. Now let me help you to the infirmary."

Lee looked choked up at the sentiment, and Hayate could see Might Guy nodding happily on the balcony, tears in his eyes as well. Hayate imagined being recognized as a splendid shinobi by the Kazekage's son was quite an honour. He smiled, liking the spirit of these Sand ninja. Rock Lee was also another great candidate to present to Yugao, although it was likely he lacked the darkness to join the Anbu, much like Might Guy had.

 _Ino Yamanaka vs. Sai._

Hayate didn't know whether or not this could be classified as a fight, but Sai's techniques were truly impressive. As soon as they were on the battlefield, Sai strode towards Ino with intense purpose. Ino shifted her eyes from side to side, fidgeting, and Sai stopped before her to offer her a warm, loving smile.

"Ino Yamanaka," he said, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "You have such a beautiful face. I don't want any harm or damage to come it. Will you resign so I don't have to fight someone as dazzling as yourself?"

"Y-y-yes!" Ino cried, turning to face Hayate, her face scarlet. "I resign! Let Sai move on."

Sai was all smiles as she latched onto his arm and they walked off the battlefield together. Well, all was fair in love and war, Hayate supposed, even using love in war. There had been no fighting to judge Sai's potential to become an Anbu, but somehow Hayate felt that the pale boy would make an excellent dark ninja if he could use emotions against people. Team 7 was the most promising Anbu team Hayate had seen in a long, long time.

 _Kaze Naminato vs. Kiba Inuzuka._

It was the last fight, and it was one of the craziest things Hayate ever bore witness to in his life. Later, when he was talking to Yugao about how the preliminaries went, he'd spend at least half an hour going on about it until finally remembering he'd found a good team to become Anbu members. Kaze was so far above genin level Hayate wasn't sure if even he'd be able to beat Kaze, the boy who'd destroyed Kiba Inuzuka blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back.


	16. Chapter 15: Instinct

When Naruto's alias was called, everyone who had been helping him with his puppets in the forest held their breaths. Naruto figured that deep down, most of them still expected him to quit. To be honest, it would be the best move in this situation—his lungs and heart still ached from the bits of supressed chakra that managed to escape when he wasn't paying attention, and he'd used his broken fingers so much that every twitch was agony. He knew no ninja would fault him for resigning in his weakened state.

But Naruto wasn't like other ninjas. He was an emissary of the Akatsuki, if not a full fledged member quite yet. Even someone like him had been trained in almost every situation, and since many missions were dangerous he'd been trained how to fight with no chakra, backed into a sticky situation. His mind and body could still remember exactly how it had worked.

* * *

 _"Naruto, you're growing overconfident in your use of jutsus," Itachi had said, watching as Naruto went through six jutsus in no time flat then laughed happily. "You're too focused on offense and you defense is suffering."_

 _"Itachiiii," Naruto whined, running up to his favourite Akatsuki member and grabbing the front of his cloak, tugging it and glaring at the man who'd saved him. "I'm not overconfident, you guys beat me every day! Besides a few easy missions, I haven't won a single fight!"_

 _Itachi narrowed his eyes, but Naruto was older now and he wasn't going to do every little thing Itachi wanted. When it came to training, anyway. He was strong now, and who needed defense if their offense was so strong that no one could get through it? He just needed to keep strengthening his offense, and eventually he'd be able to beat even Itachi!_

 _But Itachi disappeared in a flutter of crows, and suddenly Naruto felt a kunai at the back of his neck. He groaned, not wanting to train in any more taijutsu—it wasn't as cool or flashy as the impressive array of jutsus the Akatsuki members could teach him. Especially Obito—erm, Tobi, who was uh… Madara to Itachi (it was confusing)—who knew almost as many moves as Kakashi Hatake, the man that had supposedly memorized a thousand._

 _"How are you going to counter?" Itachi asked from behind him, and Naruto rolled his eyes._

 _"Substitute a Shadow Clone and get the fuck outta—"_

 _There was a sharp pain on his head as Itachi karate-chopped him. Naruto fell to his knees, clutching his head as tears formed in his eyes, and he shot a hateful look at Itachi over his shoulder._

 _"Naruto," Itachi sighed._

 _"Okay, okay, I know I'm not supposed to curse! But Hidan—"_

 _"—is someone you're not supposed to be hanging out with," Itachi finished sternly. "I understand he's strong, but I don't want you getting caught up with his god Jashin."_

 _"But Jashin's cool," Naruto muttered under his breath, earning him another chop from Itachi in precisely the same location as last time. He yelped, clutching his head and rolling from side to side; the first one hadn't hurt too much, but getting hit in the same spot was harsh! It wasn't his fault that Hidan had the most to teach him about cursing, gods, and women. That was just stuff a young guy quickly approaching teen years and puberty needed to know._

 _Itachi sighed again and crouched until he was eye-level with Naruto. Naruto stopped carrying on and eyed the Uchiha warily, wondering if he should expect a surprise attack or not. Itachi usually didn't surprise attack him, but the other members of the Akatsuki all did at least once a week. Each! They said he needed to stay on his toes, and man, was he ready for anything now._

 _"I'm sorry it's boring," Itachi said, reaching out to poke Naruto in the forehead with two fingers. Naruto could feel a flush of shame creeping up his neck from acting childish, but Itachi smiled warmly instead of looking disappointed. "I keep forgetting you're only ten. You're the same age as my brother, but you've matured so much in the past in two years that I find myself treating you like an adult more and more."_

 _"Your brother… Sasuke?" Naruto asked excitedly, wondering if he'd get another Sasuke story. It had taken a year for Itachi to talk about his family, but when he finally opened up all he talked about was Sasuke. How amazing his younger brother was, and how bright his future looked. Naruto had been jealous at first, but now he loved hearing about the youngest Uchiha. Sasuke sounded so cool, and though Naruto didn't want to associate with Konoha again, he thought maybe he'd like to be friends with Sasuke someday._

 _"Stop changing the subject," Itachi chuckled, and Naruto felt warm from his toes to the tips of his hair. He loved making Itachi laugh; it seemed like it made the whole world get a little brighter._

 _"Now, what I'm going to show you today may not seem like much, but it's what separates a strong shinobi from the rest. What have I always told you makes a difference between two opponents? Something that a weaker ninja can use to defeat someone who's far, far above them?"_

 _Argh, Naruto fucking hated pop quizzes! Even when he knew the answer._

 _"Experience," he said, earning another gentle smile from Itachi._

 _"Exactly. The problem with you is that we don't have many missions you can join us on yet, because Pain doesn't want you doing anything dangerous until you're ready to start collecting the other jinchuurikis. For most people as young as you, it's impossible to gain experience. Luckily for you, you're in a unique situation where you're surrounded by strong ninjas who all have different fighting styles."_

 _"So… I'm going to fight you all?" Naruto asked, wondering where this was going._

 _"In a way. The experience I want you to have now is one that doesn't involve chakra or ninjutsu—it involves making your body memorize the unique feel of a fight. What I want is to build your fighting instinct, so your body is dodging attacks and countering before your mind even has time to catch up. You think too much when using ninjutsu, so this entire training exercise is going to be pure taijutsu, teaching your body how to recognize sounds, disturbances in the air, and exact distances an enemy has jumped based on how heavy their footstep is. Things like that."_

 _Naruto rolled this around in his mind, picturing how awesome he would look if people were whipping kunai at him and he was dodging with a cool expression, turning his nose up at them as they gaped in amazement at his skills. On second thought, maybe Itachi's training wasn't so boring after all._

 _"Okay, what do I have to do?" Naruto asked, beginning to get excited._

 _Itachi held up two strips of cloth, beckoning for Naruto to come over to him. Naruto was a little shocked when Itachi wrapped one of them around his hands, binding them so tight he wouldn't be able to make a single hand sign. He was even more shocked when Itachi wrapped the second one around his eyes, and all vision was completely blocked._

 _"Uh… Itachi? You don't seriously think I can fight you blindfolded with my hands tied like this do you? It's fu—I mean, it's insane!"_

 _"I told you, you can't use jutsus," Itachi answered, but he sounded like he was in a completely different place from where he'd been. Naruto spun, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from._

 _"And you're too fast to let you use your sight at this point. To develop battle instinct, you'll need to use your other senses, the ones you don't normally think of using. I don't want you to think hard about what you're doing; I want you to let your body take over."_

 _"I-I'll try!" Naruto squeaked out, spinning around and around to try to pinpoint where Itachi was. There was a soft sound of a shoe scraping sand, a small whoosh of air, and then he felt a hand touch the side of his neck._

 _"You're dead," Itachi said from beside him. Naruto kicked out to the side with all his might, but Itachi was already gone. Shit. This would take a long, long time to learn—longer than any jutsus, probably even longer than it had taken to master a puppet. He sparred with Itachi for a good hour, 'dying' a hundred times over, until he was panting and confused and unsure what sounds were natural._

 _"I think I've done enough for today," Itachi said, and Naruto waited for him to come and remove the blindfold and the cloth binding his hands. But nothing happened._

 _"Aren't you going to untie me?" Naruto yelled, shaking his hands in the air. He heard a laugh right in his ear._

 _"Why? I was just the first trainer. You still have to get through the rest of the Akatsuki."_

 _"W-wh-what?"_

 _"Every day, from now until you get it, you'll have to fight us all. This is something you need to know, Naruto. In fact, this experience and instinct may be the most important thing you ever learn. But don't worry—we won't use any jutsus either."_

 _It took Naruto five months before he could beat each member of the Akatsuki. But that was the easy part. Itachi had said they wouldn't use jutsus, and they didn't… for the first five months. The next five, though, that was when things got really interesting._

* * *

"Sasuke," Naruto said now, turning to face his friend—er, rival. Sasuke's eyes glittered dangerously, a war between concern and eagerness. Man, he really did look like Itachi, and he was just as cool (or maybe even cooler) than Naruto had imagined. Already awakening the Sharingan, learning fire style, and copying techniques? Maybe someday he actually could catch up to Naruto.

"You—" Sasuke began, then looked Naruto in the eye and shook his head. Naruto's smile grew wide. "Don't die on me, moron. I still want to fight you."

"That's a given," Naruto laughed, then held his arms out straight. "Can you do something for me? I need you to unwrap my hands."

"Don't tell me you're going to try—"

"No. No chakra," Naruto said firmly. "Use the wraps to tie my hands behind my back and a blindfold over my eyes."

"…You've totally lost it."

"Hurry up!" Naruto hissed, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze on him. His opponent, the guy who had been bitching at him about Hira and Hikami, was starting to look really annoyed. Naruto's skin was crawling and he could feel sweat beading on his brow underneath his Kaze puppet; keeping people waiting made him nervous, after Sasori had drilled 'BE EARLY OR ON TIME' into his psyche.

Sasuke made an unintelligible sound under his breath, shaking his head. But he did as Naruto asked, unquestioning.

"I could fucking kiss you. Now, let me put on a show for you!"

Naruto backed up until he felt the cold steel of the balcony on his back, then he back flipped over it and landed in a crouch. The faint sound of his boots hitting the floor made the hairs on the back of his neck rise up, and all of a sudden he could see… everything. Neji Hyuuga shifting on the balcony, muttering to Lee and Tenten about how 'Kaze had no chakra.' Sasuke's breath picking up slightly as he waited for the fight, getting pumped. The creak of the proctor's lungs as he drew in a laboured breath. The soft tread of paws scrabbling against a jacket.

Naruto shut everything but his opponent out, rising and trotting to stand a few metres away.

"Is this some sort of joke?" he heard Kiba Inuzuka snarl, and he couldn't help a smirk from crossing his face. This boy was a Leaf ninja, and he seemed like the kind to sneer at weaklings and make fun of people who were different. Naruto had a slight respect for Kiba's female teammate, but none at all for this guy. Because of Kiba, Naruto had gotten so worked up he'd cursed at Gaara. He'd never in his life cursed at a friend like that; he hated hurting his loved ones.

"The only joke here is you," Naruto growled, his excitement slowly turning into the slow, sizzling anger that never left his gut. Fucking Leaf genin. Fucking Konoha. He could hear Zetsu whispering to him, promising things that made his skin prickle. Konoha would get its due, if he could hold back long enough.

"Uhh… I guess, if that's how you choose to fight, I can't stop you," Hayate said, coughing moderately into his palm. "So, begin."

Kiba leapt immediately, thinking it would be a quick and easy battle just because Naruto had given him such a huge handicap. The amount of pressure in that footstep meant Kiba would be…

Naruto moved left just slightly and felt the wind of Kiba's fingers scrape by his ear. Kiba landed, then there was a loud scrape, and Naruto dodged right as Kiba spun and threw himself on the opposite side. Now Kiba's feet were moving, but he was immediately in front of Naruto, throwing punch after punch. Naruto dodged each one with ease, sensing the disturbance in front of him almost before it happened. Kiba was nothing compared to the Akatsuki members.

"Dammit!" Kiba yelled, and Naruto had to hold back a sigh. Giving away your position like that? Really? He lashed out quick as he could with one foot, grinning at the satisfying feeling of soft flesh giving way beneath his kick. His kick could move mountains, or so he liked to claim. Kiba cried out in pain, then went flying. Naruto heard him land ten metres away, sliding until he dug his hands into the floor to stop himself.

Naruto could've been on him in a second, breaking delicate vertebrae with a satisfying crunch, but he was curious to see whether the Leaf shinobi had anything else up his sleeve. And, yeah, he wanted to show off in front of Sasuke.

Kiba leapt up again, then there was a rustling sound as he took something out of his tool belt. Naruto waited patiently, and figured it must've been a food pill as he heard the sound of chewing. Two mouths—so the dog was going to be part of the next act too?

"Take this! Fang over fang!" Kiba yelled, and Naruto cocked his head to one side, listening to the sound of air being swirled around two figures. Then the figures began to come at him at an advanced pace, way quicker than Kiba had been before. There was no difference in weight, so Naruto couldn't even tell which one was human and which one was dog. Oh well, they were both Leaf scum.

They attacked at once, both of them coming from either side to try to catch him in the middle. He bounced lightly on his toes, testing the feel of the floor, then sprung up over their heads and heard the sound of the two of them meeting in the middle. It was a harsh sound, all claws and fangs—Naruto decided at that moment that he'd rather not test out how much damage a move like that could do, particularly now that his fingers were beginning to throb.

Unfortunately, now that he was in the air the two had him right where they wanted him; he didn't have any leverage to propel himself off of so he could move in the air, while the two of them had each other. He'd have to take damage this time. He uttered an oath under his breath, then waited as the two came to clash with him. It seemed to take _forever;_ enough time for him to easily catch one of them under the chin with a kick and flip over to wrap his legs around the throat of the other one. Stupid, stupid, stupid, he'd have to take this fall hard now.

He was completely prepared for a head landing, but lucky for him, his body had other plans. Instead of smashing headfirst into the ground to take one of his opponents down, he released his opponent's neck and instead pressed his knees into his opponent's chest. The fall was particularly harsh, but for Naruto the landing was softened a whole lot by his opponent's ribs and vital organs. The second he felt them crunch in an unpleasant, horribly damaging way, he dug his toes into the ground and used them to flip himself over so he could come down hard feet-first onto his other opponent's head.

That made a rather satisfying thud too, then popped until he was standing atop a little puppy. He didn't really like hurting puppies, so he quickly moved off of its head. Then he casually made his way over to where Kiba lay wheezing on the ground. Ha, the kid wouldn't be getting up for a long, long time. In fact, Naruto would make sure he never got up again.

"S-sto—" Kiba tried to wheeze out, but Naruto shut him up with a swift kick to the side of the head. Then he set his shoe against Kiba's throat, unable to stop a laugh from falling from his lips.

"Fucking dogs, thinking they can outfox the fox," Naruto snarled, putting more pressure on Kiba's throat. He could feel the pulse of blood even through his puppet's foot. Crushing this little leaf would be so easy. All he had to do was stand up, really.

He was considering doing just that when suddenly something cut through his awareness and he leapt to the side, rolling to come up facing the place the kunai had come from. Someone was confident in their abilities—a few more inches and the kunai could've killed Kiba, but the person throwing it hadn't even seemed to consider that a possibility.

"Sorry I'm late," a familiar voice said, and Naruto felt his lips curling. Kakashi Hatake. The one who had destroyed Obito's entire world, who had killed Rin Nohara despite swearing to protect her. The most despicable type of person Naruto could imagine.

 **"Calm down, runt. Your chakra is beginning to leak out,"** a voice deep within Naruto said, and a second later he felt a wave of nausea as his lungs grew tight and his heart palpitated painfully. He coughed, wincing at the wet sound of blood hitting the ground, and forced his chakra away.

"I guess I win this one," Naruto ground out as cold shivers started running up and down his body. This was bad. If Kakashi decided to fight him here and now, he doubted he'd be able to do much.

"I've been trying to tell you that for the past five minutes!" Hayate said, but Naruto was completely focused on Kakashi's presence as the man strode out onto the battlefield. Every step was filled with purpose and confidence, and Naruto was beginning to get nervous. As Kakashi grew closer, Naruto stumbled back and ended up falling into the hole in the ground Sakura had made.

He couldn't die here, not after everything the Akatsuki members had done to train him for his mission. He needed to survive, needed to keep moving forward until he could do something worth the years they'd given him. They needed his life, and he couldn't give it to Kakashi the way Rin had. For Sasuke, the most precious person of Itachi, he'd give it up, but not to prove himself in a fight like this!

"K-Kurama," Naruto gasped out, and he could feel the ever-lurking fox perk up. If he had to rip the seal off, he would. Kurama had assured him that no matter what happened, he'd aid the Akatsuki in any way he could. He'd aid Zetsu in any way he could. Naruto didn't really trust him, but if it came down to it, letting Kurama survive was more important than Naruto's life. Obito and Zetsu needed all the Tailed Beasts.

"Kakashi!" he heard Sasuke call out faintly, but Naruto blocked it out to focus only on the sounds of what Kakashi was doing. Closer, closer… was he going to lunge at the last second? Naruto pressed his lips together, and let a small portion of chakra leak out. It burned through his system, and more blood bubbled up to his lips, but he figured if he could one defensive kick in…

Kakashi didn't lunge—Naruto heard him crouch down.

"If you… kill me…" Naruto warned in between heavy breaths.

But Kakashi didn't kill him. Instead, the hand that been reaching out grasped Naruto's blindfold and pulled it down, revealing the masked man watching Naruto with one wary eye. Naruto didn't move a muscle; he watched Kakashi just as warily. Then the man reached behind Naruto to undo the wrap binding his hands together.

"I'm not going to kill you," Kakashi murmured under his breath so only Naruto could hear. "I just need to know how you know about her—about Rin."

"Rin is…" Naruto whispered, but then his lungs felt like they were on fire, and the fire consumed him until everything went black.


	17. Chapter 16: Our Choices Make Us

The preliminaries for the third and final stage of the Chuunin Exams ended with Kiba being rushed to the hospital and six genin trying to convince everyone not to bring Kaze to the hospital. Gaara had come back from escorting Lee, and he stood in front of Kaze now, not letting any medical ninja even get close.

"Kaze will only be treated by our ninjas," Gaara said as a nurse tried to get around a wall of sand. Sasuke went to stand beside him and shoot anyone else who tried to come close the glare of a lifetime.

Kaze's fight had been insane; Sasuke couldn't believe anyone could be so in tune to their surroundings. It had been particularly brutal near the end, but Sasuke couldn't help but feel even more overwhelming respect for his little blonde rival. Without even using chakra, he'd completely overwhelmed Kiba and ended up without even a scratch. Until Kakashi had shocked him into using chakra and he'd passed out.

"I had no idea there was something wrong with him," Kakashi said apologetically, coming to lay a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "I'm sorry. You seem to care about him a lot."

"It's fine, just help me deal with these stupid doctors," Sasuke gritted out. Kakashi looked at him curiously, but asked no questions as he went to speak with the medical ninjas. Sakura and Sai ran over to join him, and together they turned to Gaara.

"You'll look after him?" Sakura asked worriedly. Somehow, she'd come to like Kaze even though he acted ridiculous around her and was constantly flirting.

"There's not much I can do, but I'll see that he gets some rest," Gaara said quietly, and the sand wall dissolved to make a platform of sand. It gently lifted Kaze in the air, and Sasuke winced at how white he looked. He really needed to find someone who could repair the holes in his chakra network.

"Find us when he's awake, then," Sai said as Kankuro and Temari joined Gaara, both of them looking worried as well. Gaara nodded then walked off with his siblings and Kaze. His sensei approached them, looking agitated, but Sasuke couldn't hear what he was saying and soon the five of them disappeared.

"Now then," Sasuke heard behind him, and when he turned he was met with a smile that sent shivers down his spine. He saw Sai and Sakura also stiffen beside him, and he knew this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation.

"Why don't you tell me exactly what you know about this Kaze Naminato?" Kakashi asked.

* * *

"It wasn't Danzo," was the first thing Sasori said when he approached Konan and Pain. Konan pressed her hand against her chest and drew in a small, relieved breath. Things had just gotten much better, since the only other person who could've done it was…

"Sasuke Uchiha must've been the one to supress the kyuubi. Apparently Orochimaru's plans fell through with Naruto's appearance and he's regrouping with the sole purpose of crushing the Leaf."

"Then we must find Naruto and take him from the village before the attack can take place," Pain said, standing from his spot on the forest floor. While Sasori met with Kabuto, Konan and Pain had waited outside of the village to lower their chances of being spotted. With the number of Anbu Black Op guards tripled, it was best to err on the side of caution.

"Of course. From what Kabuto said, it seems like Naruto is using his puppet as a cover, much like how I use Hiruko. He calls himself 'Kaze Naminato' and is friendly with Itachi's brother, as well as his friend from Suna."

Konan also stood from her spot on the ground, stretching her muscles out to loosen them. They'd been sitting in the only patch of sunshine showing on the dappled ground, and for a moment it had felt like the old days. However, things weren't even close to how they'd once been. Konan stepped from the warmth of the sun into the shade and bowed her head.

"I have some senbon. If you'll provide me with a light sedative, Sasori, we can be in and out of Konoha without having him make a scene," she said quietly. Taking him by force may not be necessary, but it was probably the best thing to do to minimize risk.

"Getting the supplies to make one may take a while. I'm afraid I'll have to keep you waiting, Konan."

"How long?" Pain asked, his deep voice filled with impatience. Konan knew he wanted to have Naruto with them immediately, and not just because Naruto was important as a jinchuuriki. As powerful as he was, Nagato couldn't protect Naruto from the world.

Sasori considered, his beautiful puppet's face turning thoughtful. Whoever said puppets couldn't have emotions had never met Sasori, the one puppet who refused to dance on anyone else's strings.

"I'll say two weeks in case anything disastrous comes up, but I believe one week should be sufficient. Whatever the case, we won't have to wait until the third part of the Exam, when Orochimaru plans to make his move."

"Very well, then," Pain said. "I'll contact the other members and we'll meet using astral projection in the usual place. They'll want to be updated on this."

"Have you tried using it to contact Naruto?" Sasori asked curiously. Pain nodded and released a sigh so light only Konan caught it.

"Of course. He's being difficult."

"Isn't he always?" Konan asked, finding it easier to joke now that her spiritual younger brother was alright, at least for the moment.

All three of the incredibly strong shinobi sighed.

* * *

Orochimaru sat in the darkness, only the tiniest sliver of silver light from a cracked door revealing his face. The eye the sliver sat on was cold and contemplative, debating things that were better left inside of his mind. Things were getting quite troublesome indeed, and if Orochimaru didn't act soon he doubted his plan would come to fruition.

Not realizing that Kaze was Itachi's jinchuuriki had been a huge oversight on Orochimaru's part, and one he didn't plan to make again. Unfortunately, it was too late to go back and change things for the better, and with Naruto Uzumaki hanging around Sasuke Orochimaru couldn't afford to go after the young Uchiha again. The last battle had proved most difficult, even with all of the modifications Orochimaru's body had undergone for the sole purpose of fighting the kyuubi.

No, that part wouldn't work out, but he needed to put the next course of action into effect anyway. There was no better time to take down Sarutobi and the old man's pride and joy, Konoha, then now. He still had four Sound ninjas left, so instead of fighting with Sasuke they could focus on helping with the invasion. Kimimaro could also help, and use the last vestiges of that incredible power of his to hold off any other unwanted visitors. The rest would be up to the Suna ninjas the Fourth Kazekage had agreed to let him use and the Oto ninjas who were waiting for his word.

"Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto said, cracking the door open to expose Orochimaru fully. Kabuto was such a loyal pawn… not. He knew Kabuto plotted against him and desired power even greater than his own, but that was what made the young medical ninja so useful.

"What is it?" Orochimaru asked, hoping it wasn't another annoyance to put a wrinkle in his plan. From Kabuto's grimace, however, it was clear that was exactly what it was.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news. Sasori and a few other members of the Akatsuki—I'm not sure which ones—are here."

Orochimaru surged to his feet, furious. This was more than just an annoyance. If Itachi or Pain was one of those members, there could be some serious trouble that even Orochimaru wouldn't be able to slip away from.

"Why?" Orochimaru demanded, wondering why he was cursed with such bad luck. He'd been working on ways to negate the Sharingan's genjutsu, but he still hadn't come up with anything concrete. Nor had he found a single thing that could be of any use against Pain's Rinnegan.

"Only for Naruto, it seems," Kabuto muttered, his eyes shadowed as he used a finger to push his glasses higher. "Sasori was worried Danzo might have taken him."

Ah, Danzo Shimura… he was almost more of a snake than Orochimaru. As of now, they had an uneasy truce because of Sasuke, but since Orochimaru hadn't managed to snag the Uchiha it was very possible that Danzo would consider their alliance void. If Danzo managed to subdue and get a hold of the Nine-Tails now… The ramifications of that scared Orochimaru just as much as it scared the Akatsuki, if for different reasons.

"I see. In that case, we'll have to move the invasion date up."

Kabuto raised an eyebrow at the statement but said nothing, content to let his smirk do all the talking for him. What a fantastic poker face he had.

"When shall I tell them to be ready by?" Kabuto asked, already on Orochimaru's wavelength.

"One week. We'll strike at the height of the day, when the most civilians are out. There'll be more guards at that point, but they'll be too busy trying to save the children to do much harm. At that point, there also won't be as many strong shinobi as there will be closer to the third part of the Exam. Brief the Sound Four, Kimimaro, and the Sand shinobi."

"Very well," Kabuto said, sketching a mocking bow. "Your wish is my command."

He disappeared, leaving Orochimaru behind to his thoughts.

* * *

When Naruto's eyelids fluttered open, he was shocked and beyond happy to see Itachi hovering over him. He reached up with both arms, grabbing Itachi around the neck and pulling him close in a hug, burying his face in the side of Itachi's neck.

"I missed you a whole lot," he whispered, gripping Itachi's cloak tight. Except, now that he was more awake, he realized what he was gripping wasn't a cloak at all. It was a navy blue shirt with an Uchiha crest on the back, but the Uchiha he was hugging wasn't the one he'd originally thought. Peering over the shoulder of the person he was hugging, he saw the astonished faces of Gaara's squad and the other two members of Team 7 staring at him open-mouthed.

"Uh, um, haha… er…"

He didn't know what to say as he quickly released Sasuke, shoving him away as his face went scarlet. Sasuke was staring at him with the same embarrassed, flustered expression, and after a few moments of this, Sasuke quickly excused himself and practically ran from the room. Naruto's eyes followed him, and Naruto kind of wanted to go after him to clear things up, but he had no idea what to say. Sorry, I thought you were your older brother whom you've been trying to kill this whole time?

"Well that was awkward," Temari sighed, but she looked amused.

"Quite gutsy, grabbing him while he was open like that," Sai smirked, waving a finger at Naruto.

"Leave him alone, he's just waking up," Gaara chastised, although Naruto didn't miss the confused, questioning expression Gaara shot his way.

Naruto decided to forget the whole thing for now, and he sat up to look around and take in his surroundings. He was in a relatively large room, decorated sparsely with a couple of wall hangings and a few books stacked orderly into a bookshelf. A tiny television set sat on the bookshelf, and beside that was a single armchair that looked heavily worn, threads sticking out from it as if someone pulled on them a lot. Beside the armchair was a table, and on it were enough drinks for everyone in the room and a couple of other people besides.

"Where…" Naruto began, then trailed off as he looked to the right and noticed a small, worn picture frame on a nightstand beside the bed. He picked it up, staring in surprise at the picture it contained, which was obviously much newer than the frame. Four shinobi were looking at the camera, and two of them were in the room with him. Kakashi had one hand on Sasuke's head and the other on Sai's, while Sakura stood in the middle with a huge, bright grin. Sai was also smiling, and even Sasuke looked like he didn't mind being there. They looked like… family.

"Everything alright, Kaze?" Sakura asked, and Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was odd, seeing three Konoha ninjas look so happy and carefree—it made his heart ache a little. How stupid. He was going to destroy the Village Hidden in the Leaves, so he had no time to get sentimental over a picture like this, especially one with Kakashi Hatake. He set the frame back down and offered Sakura a grin.

"Yep! This your place, Sakura?"

"Actually, it's mine," Sasuke muttered, having slunk back into the room while Naruto wasn't paying attention. His face was still a little red, but he seemed to have composed himself more. Naruto tried to do the same, shoving down the rising heat that wanted to make his cheeks red. There was absolutely no reason to be embarrassed; it was an honest mistake. And if he'd happened to notice that Sasuke smelled really nice, well, that was nothing.

"I brought you some water, but I'm not giving it to you until you promise not to hug me like that again," Sasuke said, eyeing Naruto warily. Now that he mentioned it, Naruto was totally parched. He accepted the water gratefully, hyperaware of where Sasuke's fingers were on the glass and intentionally avoiding them, then asked how he'd gotten there.

Gaara explained how his sensei, Baki, hadn't approved of bringing Naruto back to the place the Suna ninjas were staying, because he'd never seen Naruto in his life. It took a bit of convincing for Baki to believe Naruto was even actually part of the Sand Village. Naruto noticed Team 7 looking confused at this, wondering where exactly Naruto was from, but he didn't offer any explanation.

Next, Sakura apologized profusely while Sai explained how they'd had to tell Kakashi a little bit about what had happened. They'd told him that Kaze was a puppet master from Suna whom they'd befriended during the second part of the Exams. Kakashi had been suspicious, but no one on Team 7 actually knew anything about Naruto, so it wasn't like they could offer a better explanation. They'd conveniently left out Naruto's fight with Orochimaru, but even so, Kakashi wanted to drop by later to have a 'chat' with Naruto.

Gaara also seemed like he was itching to tell Naruto something, but he evidently didn't want to say it in front of everyone else, so Naruto didn't press him. When everyone was finished with their stories, Naruto felt kind of exhausted. He had to sort out a lot—from Kakashi's questioning, to Baki's suspicions, to whatever Gaara needed to talk to him about—but all he wanted to do was sleep. Man, this chakra thing was shit. He really needed to find someone who could heal him.

"I think he's had enough for the day," Sasuke said finally, and Naruto shot him a grateful look.

"Will he be okay here?" Gaara asked, looking unsure. Naruto could see that Gaara's question was more for Naruto than Sasuke, so Naruto gave a small nod which reassured Gaara even before Sasuke could answer.

"We have one month to train for the final part of the Chuunin Exams," Sasuke said, looking around as if daring anyone to say different. "So I say Kaze rests the first week here, and we can figure out what to do after that."

"You just want him to yourself," Sai complained, and Sasuke's answering glare was like a kunai. Sakura rolled her eyes and grabbed Sai's arm, practically dragging him from the room. Temari and Kankuro also wished Naruto well, then left, so it was only Sasuke, Gaara, and Naruto. Gaara glanced over at Sasuke, hesitating.

"Sasuke, you got any ramen?" Naruto asked.

"Not for an idiot like you," Sasuke growled, but he seemed to take the hint because he left the room anyway, shooting Gaara a surreptitious glare as he shut the door.

"I think he likes you," Gaara said, staring after Sasuke. Naruto settled more comfortably in the bed, noticing for the first time that he wasn't wearing his puppet. He looked around frantically; if Kakashi came, things could get bad, but Gaara shook his head, laying a gentle hand on Naruto's shoulder to push him back down before he could leap up.

"Your Kaze puppet is under the bed," Gaara assured Naruto, and Naruto relaxed marginally.

"Hmph. I don't know if Sasuke likes me so much as he respects my strength," Naruto yawned.

"He respects you, yes, but it's more than that," Gaara said gently. "I can see it in the way he looks at you—he already considers you dear to him. I think he enjoys talking with you more than he lets on, which is something I understand completely."

Naruto flushed a little, wondering how Gaara could talk about such mushy things so openly. Somewhere along the way, it seemed like Gaara had become even better at reading and talking to people than Naruto. He was a great guy; with his gentle heart and kind words, Naruto figured he'd make a great leader of his people some day.

"Yeah, well… What is it you wanna talk to me about?"

Gaara avoided Naruto's eyes suddenly, walking to the balcony on the far side of the room and looking out the window. Naruto could see Gaara's eyes tracking people far below, and he wondered what Gaara saw when he looked out into the village. To Naruto, Konoha was like Kaze—a pretty outer shell that hid something dark and evil within it.

"Orochimaru is planning to attack this village soon," Gaara whispered so low that Naruto almost didn't catch it. But when he did, he bolted upright and tried to struggle out of bed. Gaara turned back and made a dissatisfied sound under his breath, using his sand to hold Naruto in place.

"Where is he? Where the fuck is that snake hiding? I'll kill him, Gaara, just tell me where he is!"

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you," Gaara said, his gentle eyes growing hard. "You have no chakra, and we both know what happens if you break the seal. Don't give your life up for something so stupid."

"It's not stupid," Naruto grumbled, but he stopped struggling against the sand.

"I didn't tell you so you could go after Orochimaru. I told you because I need you to make a decision about something."

Naruto could hear a clear note of anguish in Gaara's voice as the redhead turned back to the balcony and laid his hand against the glass. He could make out only the barest shadow of Gaara's expression from the reflection on the glass, but that tiny bit was enough. Something was truly hurting Gaara. Naruto tried to struggle out of bed again, but it just wasn't working out for him.

"Orochimaru asked my father—who in turn asked me—to help him destroy this village."

Naruto froze. His mouth suddenly went dry, and it took a few seconds of wetting his lips before he could speak again.

"What?"

"Our village's economy is declining. The daimyo of the Land of the Wind has cut our budget and is outsourcing our missions to the Leaf because it's less expensive that way, and Father is desperate to do something. He thinks destroying Konoha will help by striking fear into the daimyo while also forcing him to use Suna shinobi to do missions. As a ninja of the Village Hidden in the Sand, of course I want my village to flourish, but on the other hand… I think there are better ways of dealing with this than destroying an entire other village."

Naruto stared, unsure how he should respond. As part of the Akatsuki, he was aware of some politics and economical problems, but for the most part they didn't apply to him so he never worried about them. To hear now that one village was considering aiding in the destruction of another due to their economy… It blew Naruto's mind. He'd just never considered such things important.

"Naruto…" Gaara said, dropping his hand from the window. "What should I do?"

Gaara's voice cracked and broke, and Naruto's heart ached for his best friend. Stuck between loyalty and a kind heart, Gaara didn't really have any other options he could turn to. Naruto knew why Gaara was asking, too; Naruto had badmouthed the Leaf Village and hated it with a passion, so he could easily offer Gaara a hundred reasons to destroy it. Those reasons would bring some justification, and would make things a little easier. But still…

"You should do what you can live with," Naruto said truthfully, and the sand finally let him go so he could walk over and stand by Gaara's side. He grabbed Gaara's arm, turning his friend to see the agony in Gaara's eyes. He wanted more than anything to tell Gaara to go ahead—that the Leaf deserved to be destroyed. But he also knew that if he did that, it would break his friend irreparably.

"I'm sorry you have to choose," Naruto said, pulling Gaara into a fierce hug. People like Gaara, who were kind down to the very marrow of their bones, didn't deserve this. They deserved to be happy and not to have to make such huge, life-changing choices. The importance of Naruto's mission once again played in his mind, and he knew now more than ever that he had to help Zetsu reach his end goal.

"…Thank you," Gaara whispered, hugging Naruto back just as fiercely. "Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for saving me."

"You're the one saving me," Naruto whispered back, and the two jinchuuriki hugged until neither of them were as lonely or as sad anymore.


	18. Chapter 17: Eye of the Storm

Three Anbu members had been killed following a suspicious lead involving Kabuto Yakushi. _Three Anbu members._ Hayate logically knew that there would most certainly be a bigger fuss if the Anbu Commander was killed, but his heart pushed him to go, go, go. He burst into the medical ward, startling the Third Hokage, Danzo Shimura, and a couple of Anbu members, and his heart leapt into his throat as he saw the white sheets over three bodies.

Until a familiar figure with long violet hair stepped out of the shadows, putting up a hand to reassure the Hokage and council members. Hayate was guilty for feeling relieved—the Anbu members who were killed likely had grieving family—but the huge fist that has seized his heart finally eased its grip as the woman he loved came to stand beside him, removing her mask to look him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," Hayate whispered hoarsely, gathering a sorrowful Yugao into his arms and holding her close. He knew she considered each and every Anbu member her responsibility, and she personally wept for each one every time they died. He'd spent long hours holding her and whispering that it wasn't her fault, until she had to wipe her tears and go on to her next mission. She never showed tears in public, but he could feel the grief radiating from her nonetheless.

Danzo cleared his throat loudly at the display of affection and Yugao quickly stepped back, composing herself and putting her mask back on. In that moment, Hayate really hated the councilman.

"This needs to be investigated by someone with a more specialized skill set," Danzo began, and Hayate knew exactly what he was going to say; Yugao, with the kenjutsu Hayate himself had taught her, would be forced to go after the man who'd killed three Anbu members with ease. As the Anbu Commander, she couldn't refuse or say she wasn't qualified.

"I'll do it," Hayate surprised himself by saying, but the moment it fell from his lips it felt right. He spent so much time worrying over Yugao and whether or not she'd come back alive, and he couldn't stand letting her go after someone so dangerous. Danzo, oblivious to his plight, sized Hayate up then shrugged.

"Very well. You're also quite good at kenjutsu, so perhaps you can handle this just as well. I leave it to you."

"No," Yugao whispered softly, and everyone in the room stared. "No, I'll do it."

"You're too busy working on border patrols," Hayate interrupted, giving the authorities an apologetic glance. "You're needed here. Come with me, let's go over the details."

He had to forcibly drag Yugao from the room, and as soon as the door shut she rounded on him, tearing off her mask and glaring.

"You can't go after him, Hayate, he's too dangerous!" she snapped, fear making her tone sharp. It was okay with Hayate though; he was used to her being brittle when she was angry and sad, so he never took offense at the things she said.

"I'll be fine," Hayate said gently, reaching out to grab Yugao by her elbows and pull her closer. He could see fear in her eyes, and he understood exactly how she felt, but he couldn't let her take the mission this time. He had a bad feeling about it all, and Yugao was too important to everyone to sacrifice.

"What if you're not?" she pleaded, sliding closer to him so they could hold each other. She fit so well in his arms—it was as if she were made to be there. Hayate bent down and pressed his face into her hair, inhaling deeply and closing his eyes, enjoying her presence as if it would be the last time he felt it.

"We all have to take risks," he murmured into her hair, running his hands through it and pretending they were the only people left alive. "We're shinobi; it's what we do."

"I can't lose you, though," Yugao mumbled into his shoulder. "You're my anchor, you keep me grounded even with all of the death and destruction. Please don't go, Hayate."

"Do you remember what I said last night? About all the fantastic young people our village has?" Hayate asked, twirling a lavender lock around one finger. "We have to do this, for them. Promise me, Yugao, that no matter what happens you'll keep pursuing peace."

"…I promise. And you promise me, too. Promise me you'll come home."

Yugao looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears she wouldn't shed until she was at home in his arms.

"My home is you," Hayate said, kissing each of her eyes.

"Then tell me you'll come back to me."

"I love you," Hayate breathed, pressing one last kiss into her lips before turning to go. He didn't promise. When it came to her, he just couldn't bring himself to make a promise he didn't know if he could keep.

* * *

Sasuke had an awful night on the couch. With Kaze taking up his bed, the only place to sleep was the crappy little couch in the living room, and all night springs poked into his back and made it impossible to get comfortable. By the time morning rolled around, he was regretting ever volunteering to let his rival stay the night. In a crappy mood, he decided that six o'clock in the morning was late enough for his rival to sleep, and he threw open the door to his bedroom. Then froze.

Kaze was practically naked, wearing only boxer briefs, and he was hunched over with one hand on Sasuke's bookshelf, moaning. Sasuke wasn't sure what his other hand was doing, but the moaning put a mental image in his head that made his entire body go stiff and his cheeks blaze with heat.

"Y-y-you!" Sasuke roared, one hundred and ten percent planning to kick Kaze through the window if it turned out Kaze was doing what Sasuke thought he was. But when Kaze turned around, he didn't seem embarrassed at all, and his hand wasn't where Sasuke had thought it was. Instead, it was curled in a rather awkward-looking position by Kaze's stomach, and half of the dressings were off of it.

"Sasuke, thank Jashin," Kaze whimpered rather pathetically. Sasuke closed his mouth, but his eye still twitched as he tried not to think what he'd just been thinking.

"I'm trying to get changed but my fingers hurt like a motherfucker. Can you straighten them?"

"Straighten them," Sasuke said flatly, more of a statement than a question. Kaze held up his fingers, and Sasuke realized they looked like they'd been curled awkwardly because they were all bent out of shape. He sighed, shaking his head, and padded over to the tiny blonde, grabbing him by the wrist and holding one hand up to study it. Yep, they definitely needed straightening. He looked Kaze, narrowing his eyes until Kaze started to look flustered. Just as Kaze began to say 'Never mind,' Sasuke used every ounce of speed he had to re-break the fingers straight.

Kaze's eyes went huge, blue seeming to engulf his whole face as the colour drained from it. Then he opened his mouth and screamed so loud Sasuke swore the apartment shook. Sasuke stumbled back, holding his hands over his ears and glaring daggers at Kaze, and the screams died off into creative expletives, which eventually died off into whimpers.

"That's one hand," Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow. Kaze didn't stop whimpering, but he obediently held out his other hand, looking resigned. Sasuke was even quicker this time, using his Sharingan. Kaze's reaction was the same, but when he finally stopped whimpering he looked relieved.

"Thanks, that feels a lot better!" Kaze laughed, and Sasuke rolled his eyes, wondering how anyone could be such an idiot.

"Whatever. Anyway, you're supposed to be resting for the rest of the week so—"

"Do you have any extra clothes? I don't really wanna train in my underwear."

Sasuke swiftly karate-chopped him on the head. It only seemed to make Kaze happier though; now his grin was even bigger and he looked so joyful Sasuke was worried he'd get another hug. The thought made him shift uncomfortably; he couldn't get the feeling of Kaze's warm breath and tender words from his head. He figured Kaze must've mistaken him for someone else, but since they hadn't talked about it he wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that being touched so familiarly made his heart ache in a strange but not wholly unpleasant way.

"Do you listen to a word anyone says?" Sasuke asked in exasperation. "You used a tiny bit of your chakra and you passed out for an entire night."

"Yeah but I mean, there's still taijutsu! And besides, you have your chakra. I can give you pointers on how to get stronger! Plus, your next opponent is Gaara. He's fucking amazing, and you won't be able to beat him if you don't start training right now."

Sasuke doubted that, however he felt slightly angry that Kaze thought Gaara was so great. Sure, he'd done well against Lee, but Sasuke hadn't really had to try in his fight. Kaze hadn't seen Sasuke use his full potential, and here he was convinced that Gaara was better. Maybe this was some sort of psychology trick (Sasuke doubted Kaze was smart enough to use one) but suddenly he didn't care. He wanted to show Kaze what he was truly made of.

"If that's really what you think, I guess we can try training and see how it goes. If you show any signs of getting sick—or if you use your chakra—we're coming straight back here, though. I don't need to carry some fat moron around."

"F-fat? I'm not t-that fat!" Kaze gasped out, staring down at his stomach. Sasuke absolutely did not notice that his stomach was hard and smooth, the strange black marking on it spreading out over the ridges that were starting to become as defined as a man's body.

"Hmph. I'll find you clothes that are too big on me to wear and then we'll head down to a private training spot."

In the end, although Kaze most definitely wasn't fat, he didn't fit well into Sasuke's clothes. A shirt with the Uchiha crest stretched out over a chest that wasn't as narrow as Sasuke's, and Kaze had to leave the button of the shorts open since his hips weren't as slender. He looked pretty comical, and Sasuke was helpless against a snort of laughter when Kaze muttered something about how maybe he really had eaten too much ramen.

After getting ready and grabbing a few pieces of toast, Kaze and Sasuke went out to the training grounds, Kaze back in his puppet body. They spent the day together much like the day they'd spent in the Land of the Waves, except this time their banter was even better and Sasuke found himself feeling almost… happy. Every time they coaxed smiles from each other, every time they held back laughter because it would interrupt a mock fight they were having, every time Kaze leapt into the air excitedly because Sasuke finally mastered a technique… Sasuke felt his heart grow a little lighter.

At the end of the day, laying side by side, Sasuke tried to question about all the things he'd been wondering, but Kaze wouldn't tell him a thing. Oddly, though, Sasuke didn't really mind. Even if he didn't know every part of Kaze's life, he felt like he'd gotten to know something fundamental about who Kaze was.

"Hey, Sasuke?" Kaze asked, as the two of them leaned against each other, making their way back to Sasuke's apartment. Sasuke was wiped out from the huge amount of jutsus Kaze had been teaching him, and Kaze was wiped out from… well, from talking.

"Yeah?"

"Where's your family?"

There was a note of sorrow in Kaze's voice, and Sasuke paused. His thoughts flashed back to the night of the massacre, and he felt his face growing colder.

"Dead. And the ones that aren't may as well be."

For a brief moment, Kaze's fingers tightened on Sasuke's shoulder and Sasuke thought he felt a flash of chakra. He turned to Kaze in shock but the other boy was looking away from him, as if trying to hide the flicker of pain Sasuke could make out from the side.

"No matter what they've done… Even if you can't forgive them, you should at least try and find out if they had their reasons," Kaze said, and for a second Sasuke wondered if the blonde knew about the slaughter of the Uchiha clan. He said he'd been to the Leaf before, so it was very possible. But then, why would he suggest Sasuke try to find out what reasons Itachi had?

"I already know their reasons. They told me," Sasuke snapped, feeling a familiar anger in his gut.

"Words are the least truthful thing you can use to communicate with," Kaze murmured. "If I wanted to hurt someone I loved, I know I'd use them over physical harm. They're way more effective."

Sasuke blinked, feeling kind of like he'd just been punched in the gut. What did this kid know about anything? Sasuke wanted to dismiss his opinion outright, but the small portion of time he'd spent with Kaze had made him respect everything his rival said. The words wiggled into his mind and nestled deep, taking root. He tried to forget them, distracting himself by questioning Kaze even though it was probably futile.

"What about you? Where's your family?"

They had started to walk again, but Kaze stopped now, the green in his eyes fading to a dark, cloudy colour Sasuke couldn't name.

"Waiting for me," he said in a voice that was shades darker than it had been all day. This was the same ominous voice he used when snarling at Leaf shinobi or putting on his arrogant, furious act. Except Sasuke was realizing that the darkness was no act. The light wasn't either. Kaze was a puzzle made of contradictions and Sasuke didn't think Kaze could be pieced together, mostly because the puzzle pieces wouldn't fit together.

"Your mother and father are?"

"My mother and father are dead. Dead and forgotten—no one cares about their sacrifice or the people who betrayed them. I'm the only one left to remember."

Although a few elements were different, Sasuke understood the story more than anyone else would. He fell silent and they started walking again, this time not talking all the way back to the house.

Kaze offered to trade for the night—he'd sleep on the couch while Sasuke slept on the bed, but Sasuke told him it was fine. The springs weren't too bad after all.

The next day was similar, and though this was only their fourth time training together they fell into almost a routine. Train for four hours, break for food (Kaze insisted they get ramen, which Sasuke finally gave in to), train for another four hours, rest together and chat about trivial things. Kaze was surprisingly clueless about the world, not knowing most of the popular kids' shows or different kinds of candies. He could tell the difference between a sharp and dull kunai with one glance, he knew the chakra system like the back of his hand, and he knew a lot about politics between different lands. Yet he didn't know one of the most famous actresses or the Land of Fire's favourite pop star. Kaze was, Sasuke was quickly realizing, a soldier.

"What do you like to do in your spare time?" Sasuke asked as Kaze handed him a lollipop from what seemed like an endless supply he kept somewhere within his puppet.

"Spare time?" Kaze asked, as if he'd never heard of the concept. "I train, then go on missions."

"When you're not training or doing missions, what do you do?"

"Um…" It shouldn't have been a hard question, but Kaze had to think about it for a long time. "Eat? Sleep? Make puppets? Play games with Tobi?"

"Games," Sasuke seized onto desperately trying to find something Kaze liked. "What kind of games?"

"Well… we play War, mostly. We make up cards for all the strong ninjas, then put them against each other and explain who would win and why, and run through scenarios of how each person could win."

It didn't go over well, trying to find something that made Kaze like a normal human being. That night, Kaze invited Sasuke to sleep in the same bed as if it weren't a big deal. Sasuke hadn't slept the past two nights, but there was no way in hell he was sleeping with Kaze.

The next day was more of the same, and Sasuke tried his best to forget what Kaze had said about Itachi having his reasons. Already, the seed of the idea that had taken root in his mind was growing. Words are the least truthful thing. Sasuke fell into an uneasy sleep that night, and had nightmares in the dark about Itachi crying.

The fourth day of training, Kaze worked Sasuke so hard that by the end of the day he could barely stand. He just meant to help Kaze to the bed, but the next thing he knew he was waking up in the morning beside Kaze. Kaze hadn't even taken off his puppet, and Sasuke realized they'd been asleep before they hit the bed. He tried to be annoyed, but it had been one of the most refreshing nights he'd ever had. For the first time in a long time, he hadn't had a single nightmare.

The fifth day, after no one had been around for the other days, Kaze took his puppet off and tanned shirtless in the sun while he taught Sasuke more jutsus. By this point, Sasuke was surprised Kakashi hadn't appeared to see them, but he supposed someone had passed along the message that Kaze wasn't taking any visitors for the next week. Kaze's bared skin was incredibly distracting, and Sasuke threw everything he had into learning the jutsus so he had no time to notice it. At the end of the day, when Kaze complimented his work ethic with one of the best smiles yet, Sasuke knew they'd became more than rivals. Whether that 'more' was friends or something else remained to be seen.

Sasuke willingly slept in the same bed that night, only having a minor freak out when he woke up almost nose-to-nose with Kaze, their fingertips where their hands rested on the pillow touching.

The sixth and final day before everyone started showing up, the day started out the same as any. It was already at the point where Sasuke didn't want anyone to show up the next day or any other day—he was learning more from Kaze than he'd ever learned from anyone in his life. Kaze was out of his puppet again, enjoying the sunny day and yelling at Sasuke, shaking his fist after being called a 'moron' for the sixth time that day. He always had outbursts after a few times, and it only made Sasuke tease him more.

"Listen, loser, you get too worked up. You're going to end up accidentally using your chakra like an idiot if you don't calm down."

"I know, I know, I know, but your shithead fucktard comments piss me off!" Kaze yelled. By this point, Sasuke's nicknames for him were more affectionate than anything, and Kaze's reactions to them were more kneejerk than actually frustrated.

"Lower your blood pressure. Meditate with me," Sasuke said, holding his breath so he didn't laugh at loud at Kaze's unsure look.

"O-okay," Kaze said suspiciously. Sasuke sat across from him so their knees were almost touching, faking a meditative position.

"Close your eyes."

Kaze obeyed.

"Now, blank your mind and repeat after me. I am as calm as the eye of a hurricane. I shall not bow though the wind rages around me. In my center is only peace, in my heart is only still waters where once there was a tsunami."

Kaze repeated the words, and though Sasuke had made them up on a silly whim, it actually seemed to calm Kaze down. Sasuke kept saying nonsense sentences like that with Kaze repeating them, until Kaze looked completely at peace. His face was smooth, the lines of some burden that were normally there completely gone. He looked younger now, and his calmness gave him a serene, peaceful expression that tugged at Sasuke's heart for no real reason.

"I am an idiot," Sasuke tested, and Kaze repeated it without any real thought to what he was saying. This was too good.

"Sasuke is the best and I'm totally in love with him," he tried again, and Kaze repeated it back like mantra. Only at the end did his eyelids flicker, and as he finished the sentence very solemn, serious blue eyes hung onto Sasuke's dark ones. Sasuke felt like his heart had stopped, and suddenly this joke didn't seem very funny anymore. It didn't even feel like a joke, as the words hung in the air for a few seconds and Kaze stared in shock at Sasuke. Then he slammed his head against the ground, groaning.

"That's not fair, it was really working!" Kaze cried out, digging his hands into his hair. "You're such a bastard!" But Sasuke could see that the tips of Kaze's ears were red, and Sasuke quickly turned away to hide his own blush.

After a few minutes, Kaze sat back up and Sasuke sat beside him, both of them avoiding each other's eyes.

"Hey, Sasuke," Kaze murmured, and his voice was now gentler than Sasuke had ever heard it. Sasuke turned to give him a questioning look, not looking away from his friend's eyes. It felt like they were looking into each other's souls, but it didn't feel like a bad thing.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but I can't keep it from you anymore. The truth is, I'm actually—"

Kaze stopped before he could finish and his eyes went wide as he let out a small 'oof.' He reached up in confusion, touching the back of his neck. Sasuke shot to his feet, activating his Sharingan as Kaze pulled the senbon from his neck and stared at it as if he didn't understand how it could've appeared there. Then his eyes fluttered and he swayed, collapsing to the ground. Was that thing poisoned? This was—

Kaze flew past Sasuke, and for a second Sasuke thought he was leaping for their enemies. But no, Kaze's body was completely limp and as Sasuke squinted, he could make out the faintest chakra threads coming through the trees across the lake they'd been training near. These were even fainter than Kaze's—whoever was doing this was a true master.

Sasuke lunged for Kaze's body as quickly as he could, but he only managed to get a hold of Kaze's ninja toolkit, which snapped off cleanly. In a second, Kaze was gone, shooting across the lake towards the trees. Sasuke ran as fast as he could, using chakra control to run on the water. He could see farther than ever with his Sharingan, and he could distantly make out three people in red and black cloaks standing on the opposite shoreline. The one with purple hair, who wasn't controlling the chakra threads, snagged Kaze's tiny body out of the air with expert speed, then turned and ran into the trees, leaving her two companions behind.

"Wait, dammit!" Sasuke yelled. Kaze wasn't completely defenseless without his chakra, but there was no way he could fight three strong people at once. Plus, who knew what they'd do to him while he was unconscious?

"Don't interfere, Sasuke Uchiha," the man with the piercings said as Sasuke grew closer. Like hell he'd listen to this guy, who had stolen his friend right out from under his nose. He was stronger than ever, and he'd be damned if he didn't use that strength to protect someone precious to him. Just as he was about to prepare his attack, however, the world behind him exploded.

He flipped over the water, landing face-first on the shore the two black and red shinobi had stood on. When he looked up, they were gone. He gritted his teeth and stood, looking over his shoulder to see what had caused the explosion. What he saw made his face turn sheet-white and his knees tremble. Back in the Leaf Village was… hell.


	19. Chapter 18: The Will of Fire

Five days earlier, Yugao had spotted a familiar white-haired ninja leaving the bedroom of the youngest Uchiha late at night. It was more than a little suspect—she knew Sasuke was Kakashi's student and that student-teacher relationships sometimes happened, but the age difference in this case was ridiculous. Knowing Kakashi, however, Yugao figured it was more of a training session or debriefing than any pedophilic romantic tryst.

"Kakashi!" Yugao called, and the former Anbu member turned to regard her with friendly eyes. Eyes plural, because he hadn't put his headband back over his other eye. Definitely a training session, then.

"Yugao," Kakashi greeted her amicably, landing on a rooftop as light as a cat and waiting for her to catch up. "Hm, I suppose me leaving Sasuke's room at this hour may look odd, but it wasn't actually Sasuke I was visiting. In fact, you might be interested to learn that—"

"Kakashi," Yugao cut him off firmly. "I'm looking for Hayate. He was supposed to be back last night but no one's seen him yet. Have you?"

Her heart was burning in her chest, and she'd had to choke back sobs the entire day as she'd emotionlessly delivered orders to Anbu members. She already knew, deep down. Hayate wouldn't do this to her—he wouldn't make her needlessly worry. The Third had come to see her, and he'd tried to assure her that Hayate could've followed Kabuto to a hideout, but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself just as much as her.

"I haven't, but I'll help you look," Kakashi said immediately. It was nice that someone cared enough to help; all day she'd wanted to scream at her subordinates to look for her lover, but she'd had to make sure the village's perimeter was secure. It was nice, but it didn't make her feel any better.

They spent half the night searching rooftops until Kakashi finally came running at her with a purpose that scared her. He grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her from rounding the corner to another sloped roof. She knew from the look in his eyes, but she was powerless to stop her body from moving forward.

"Yugao, no," Kakashi said sadly, grief plain on his features. She twisted her wrist hard enough that Kakashi would either have to break it or let go, and he finally released her with a sigh that hurt more than anything she'd ever felt in her life.

"It won't help," Kakashi called after her as her feet pounded on the rooftop. Then, quieter: "I'm sorry."

Time stopped for her when she saw what was around the corner. She knew she was moving but it didn't feel like anything was happening. He was there, waiting for her, like he always was. But she was too late. The crows were already on him, pecking and dragging out the soft, loving things that made him who he was.

"Go away," she whimpered at the crows, but they made no move to leave. Her body had to do things on its own again, because her mind still hadn't caught up to what her eyes were seeing. Her sword was in her hand and she was slashing, slashing, slashing at the crows and there was blood, blood, somuchbloodnono.

When the last crow was dead, the sword that Hayate had given her as a gift after she'd 'graduated' from his lessons clattered noisily on the roof's tiles, sliding down them and dropping away into the darkness of the streets. She sank to her knees beside Hayate, ignoring the mess that was the rest of his body and looking only at his face. She heard Kakashi approach from behind, but she couldn't turn away from the scene.

"Hayate," she whispered, pulling his head onto her lap. She wrapped her arms around his beautiful, peaceful face as if she could protect it, and she ran his fingers through his hair the way he'd liked. It had been less than seventy-two hours since she'd done this in bed, the two of them entwined skin-against-skin, whispering and laughing together.

"Hayate," she said again, remembering how he'd always twirl a lock of her hair around one finger and how he'd sometimes pull her close and kiss her mask, joking about how it seemed to be a part of her now so maybe it deserved kisses too. She'd always taken her mask off after that though, and she did so now, setting it beside her so she could look at her lover through her own eyes instead of through the mask's.

Her shoulders trembled as she pressed her face against his, breathing in to try and find his scent. All she could smell was decay, but she'd be fine if he smelled like that all the time, if only he woke up. It seemed to have started raining, and water was leaking down Hayate's face like tears. It would be fine if he cried, if only he woke up. She used two shaking fingers to close Hayate's eyelids, unable to bear the sight of the bloody gouges where the crows had done their work. But even not having eyes, even that would be fine… if only he woke up.

She held him closer, rocking him like a child, and the rain seemed to be pouring as it fell even faster on Hayate's face. Yugao didn't make a sound, not even the slightest whimper, as she clutched her dead lover to her chest like he was her heart and she needed her heart back inside her body.

The rain grew heavier. But it wasn't raining.

* * *

Five days later, Orochimaru had trapped himself in a barrier with the Third Hokage, leaving no way in or out. He'd killed the Fourth Kazekage and used the name as a disguise, calling a meeting that ended up with Sarutobi being trapped. Sarutobi was prepared and the majority of the Anbu Black Ops were prepared, but the Leaf Village wasn't.

Kakashi forced his way through crowds of people, searching for his students. He'd gone to Sasuke's apartment first, but the raven-haired Uchiha was nowhere to be found. Next, he'd found Sakura's mother, who told him Sakura had left just before the attack to go see Sasuke. Sai had followed along, but since none of them could be found anywhere, Kakashi figured they must have gotten away to someplace safe. He hoped they had.

His next focus was the Suna genin. One of them was the jinchuuriki of the One-Tails, so he could do even more damage than Orochimaru's giant snakes were doing. On his way towards where the Sand shinobi had been staying, Kakashi saw Yugao fighting a swarm of Suna and Oto shinobi. At some point, the Sand and Sound must've allied so they could take down Konoha together. Kakashi wanted to help Yugao, who was obviously trying to drown her grief in blood, but she was more than holding her own and he didn't have time to soothe emotions. He continued on.

He met up with Might Guy halfway to where Gaara was, and the two of them worked wordlessly together, destroying any enemies they came across with perfect synchronicity. It wasn't enough though—not by a long shot. The snakes were causing too many problems, and the members of the Anbu who should be fighting were taking too much time to save civilians from rock falls. The plan was brilliantly executed, and though some people may have suspected an attack, everyone had thought it would be during the final phase of the Chuunin Exams. This was way too early.

"Kakashi, I don't think we have to worry about that Gaara kid," Guy said at one point. Kakashi only raised an eyebrow, giving his friend a look that said everything. Even if Gaara seemed like a good kid, they still needed to confirm the One-Tails wasn't being used. It could be the end of everything.

But in the end, Kakashi had to concede this point to Guy. Gaara stood with his siblings, hands raised, using sand to trap enemies. Kankuro was using a puppet to knock out the stragglers Gaara didn't initially get, and Temari was at their backs, using her fan to blow away anyone who tried to get near. And the 'enemies' they fought were Sand and Sound shinobi.

"I told you, Kakashi!" Guy cried out in triumph, and Kakashi ignored him. Now that he'd confirmed everything was fine with Gaara, he needed to see if there was any way to help Sarutobi.

"Kakashi, I hate it when you act so cool!" Guy yelled as Kakashi flawlessly switched directions. "Where are we going?"

"Oh, are you still here?" Kakashi asked, just to bug Guy. Even in the direst circumstances, he couldn't help but throw a dig or two in at his old friend. "We're going to see what we can do to help the Third."

Guy nodded gravely and they continued on. It didn't take long to get to the rooftop, but Kakashi knew as soon as he saw the setup that there was no way to get through it. Sarutobi could probably break the barrier from the inside, but he seemed content to take Orochimaru on by himself. Kakashi remembered his chat with Sarutobi about who would make a good Hokage next, and he inwardly cursed himself for not realizing that of course Sarutobi was planning to fight this new threat alone.

"Now what?" Guy asked, narrowing his eyes as he reached the same conclusion as Kakashi. They could only do what was within their abilities. Kakashi turned back to Konoha, watching ninjas slaughter each other and paint the streets in blood. All he'd wanted was to see this village be at peace. Was it so hopeless a dream?

"Now, we fight," Kakashi said grimly. He exchanged a glance with Guy, and he wondered how long he could fight the darkness that always lurked around his heart, threatening to consume him each time something like this happened. It was like fate was trying to chip away at his hope, little by little, until he gave up or died.

"Then let us fight with the power of youth!" Guy cried, getting fired up instead of feeling down. Kakashi felt his bleakness lift just a little at Guy's proclamation, and he snorted as if Guy had just said something completely idiotic. Honestly, this guy, he was ridiculous. Kakashi was beyond grateful.

* * *

"Sasuke!" a familiar voice called as Sasuke was watching the village in horror. Sakura and Sai landed beside him, and suddenly he felt way more grounded, his erratic pulse slowing down at the sight of his teammates.

"What's going on? Does this have to do with the people who took Kaze?"

"Someone took Kaze?" Sakura gasped. Sai went pale too, his lips pulling down at the corners as they both stared at Sasuke in horror.

"Yes, someone took him, and I have no idea what the hell is going on!" Sasuke yelled, digging his fingers into his hair. Who were the people who had stolen away with his friend? They had to be related to this attack, right? How had they even known who he was?

"We need to make a decision, then," Sakura said, her voice growing fiercer as she looked back at their home then off into the trees. "Do we go back and fight or do we go after him? With Sai's ink monsters and your Sharingan, we might be able track Kaze down."

Sasuke looked up at Sakura and Sai, who waited for him to tell them what he wanted them to do. He could see in their eyes that they'd do whatever he suggested, that they put absolute faith in him. He thought back to the week he'd spent with Kaze, the way something in his heart had started to thaw, the way he'd sometimes caught Kaze looking at him, as if he were something interesting that needed figuring out. He wanted to figure Kaze out, too. He wanted them to figure out what this bond was, together.

"We have to…"

Sasuke replayed every conversation he'd with Kaze, and he felt a deep pang of sorrow in his heart.

"…help the village."

What Gaara had said, what Kaze had said… the people who had taken Kaze could only be the older siblings Kaze spoke so highly of, the ones he broke his fingers for, the ones who locked him up. It was the puppet master that had given it away, that and the look of profound relief on the woman's face the moment Kaze was in her arms. It hadn't just been the relief of someone getting a tool back. It had been the relief of a sister getting her younger brother back, or maybe even a mother getting her son. Maybe they'd lock Kaze up again and force him into being their soldier, but for now Sasuke didn't think Kaze's life was in danger. And he knew for sure that his village's life was.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, I know how much he meant to you," Sakura said, briefly resting her hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"I don't quite understand as much, but I can see you care," Sai offered, laying his hand on Sasuke's other shoulder. The weight of their hands grounded Sasuke once more, and he found himself silently repeating the silly words he'd given Kaze during their meditation.

"Someday, I'll find him again," Sasuke swore, then turned away from the forest to face his village. This was where he was needed, and he'd be damned if he let anyone destroy the place that had built him, that had built the companions he now held so dear.

"Let's go."

* * *

Gaara fought for the village that the person he loved most hated, and he put every fiber of his being into it. You should do what you can live with, Naruto had said, and this was what Gaara could live with. Stopping his own village from irreparably severing the bonds that held two villages together was his duty now. Some Suna ninjas stopped and stared at him uncomprehendingly as he attacked, looking shocked and more than a little confused. A few that he'd met in Suna that had started respecting him actually turned on the Sound ninjas. So not everyone shared Rasa's beliefs, then.

"It's like they're all heading this way!" Temari yelled from the back. "My chakra is almost gone. If this keeps up, I don't think I'll be able to hold out!"

"Me neither," Kankuro panted, backing up until he stood right beside Gaara. Gaara himself was nearly out of chakra, but the onslaught kept coming as if they'd come forever. There was no way the three Sand siblings could hold back this tide alone, and it wasn't like they'd made many friends. After all, their village had betrayed the Leaf—not a single Anbu attempted to get near to help out.

Running on fumes, all Gaara could do was hold ninjas off as they kept coming now, and Temari and Kankuro stood close so he could defend them.

"We're finished, I think," Kankuro sighed, and Gaara felt sad that they'd die here in a foreign village, fighting their own comrades. He wondered if his siblings blamed him; he was the one who'd started the defense of Konoha, going directly against Baki's orders. Temari and Kankuro had just went along with him, and now they were going to die because of it. This was all his fault.

"I'm proud of you, little bro," Temari said suddenly, and Gaara felt her back press against his, strong and unyielding.

"Me too. I wish I had half the balls you do—standing up to our own village like this? Without you, I might've been too much of a coward, but right now I feel proud to call myself your brother."

Kankuro pressed into Gaara's side and Gaara felt tears of gratitude rise in his eyes as they prepared to make their last stand. As far as last stands went, this wasn't the worst way to go. They all raised their hands, preparing to perform the last jutsus they could.

"Do not think you are alone, comrades of the Leaf!" a sudden voice called out, and Gaara had never been so happy to see a bushy-browed ninja in an odd green jumpsuit. Rock Lee used a Leaf Hurricane to tear his way through his opponents, and behind him came his other two teammates—Neji and Tenten—wreaking havoc through the crowd as they fought to protect the right flank.

"It's a drag, but if we look less cool than Rock Lee, our reputation will really suck," another familiar voice called, and Gaara saw a huge, wolfish grin on Temari's face as the friend she'd been playing shogi with all week stopped the ninja on the left flank with his shadow technique. His teammates began bowling through them, the plump one who'd lost against Shino Aburame doing a particularly large amount of damage.

"We don't want to look uncool either," a soft voice said, and then there was a huge wave of bugs devouring chakra everywhere from the front flank. Shino walked through the crowd, looking completely unaffected by his surroundings, and behind him was the little Hyuuga girl who should be in the hospital.

"You're still standing?" Neji Hyuuga asked, and for a second Gaara thought he'd have to stop a fight between comrades. But Hinata clenched her fists, looked Neji in the eye, and said with clear strength:

"As long as there's conflict, I'll stay standing. Because using my skills to fight for peace is my nindo—my ninja way!"

Neji stared Hinata down for another minute, but she refused to look away. Finally, Neji bowed his head, turning his attention back to the fight but not before saying, "You are indeed strong, Lady Hinata. Far stronger, perhaps, than any of us realized."

Hinata's face lit up like a star, and her beauty in that moment was almost blinding. Gaara smiled softly, pleased she'd gotten a victory, then reached out a hand to her as she made it through her side of the flank. She took his hand, a flush on her cheeks, and moved to stand in front of him, taking up the stance of the Gentle Fist Art.

"This time, I'll protect you," she said to Gaara, her cheeks flaming. Gaara looked at her back, which was straight and strong, and despite how tiny and shy Hinata was, Gaara _did_ feel protected.

"Kiba was in the hospital when the attack hit and he's too injured to help, but he told me to tell you he'd be here if he could," Shino said as he took up a place in front of Gaara as well and stretched out his hands to release more bugs. Gaara barely had to do a thing; the Leaf ninja protected not only their own, but also their allies.

 _Naruto, can you see it?_ he thought at his friend. _These people you claim to hate, who you say deserve darkness reaped upon them… Can't you see the Will of Fire in them? Can't you see it burning strong, just as it does in you?_

* * *

Kimimaro would fight down to his dying breath for Lord Orochimaru—and, in this invasion, it was likely that he'd have to. The Anbu Black Ops were doing a good job of protecting civilians and holding back the majority of the tide, but they had yet to see Orochimaru's secret weapon. Kimimaro reached back, felt the unsettling ripple of his kekkai genkai as it complied to grow him a new weapon, and pulled a sword from his spine. The Anbu closest to him seemed horrified, but they got ready to fight nonetheless.

Kimimaro slaughtered them all with ease and continued his walk through the village. Every time he saw more Anbu members fighting, he'd kill them, leaving only the few that were herding civilians and children since they posed no threat. The Suna and Oto shinobi that had seemed to be wilting under the pressure exerted on them began to perk up each time he joined their battlefield, and soon morale was up to an all-time high, confidence lending even greater strength to everyone's blades. Even though Konoha had seemed slightly prepared, the new eagerness with which their enemies attacked took them by surprise and left hundreds of Leaf ninja dead.

"For Lord Orochimaru!" Kimimaro cried as he rallied yet another militia unit who had been getting wiped out. Still, he hadn't gotten to any of the strong Konoha shinobi who were supposedly wiping out entire units on their own. In the distance, he could see three of them; a pink haired kunoichi with excellent chakra-control, the young Uchiha Orochimaru had wanted using jutsus Kimimaro had never seen, and a pale shinobi who was using scroll after scroll to create monsters that tore through Suna and Oto ninjas. They were so focused on short range, though, that Kimimaro doubted they'd have time to stop a long range attack.

He held out his hand, prepared to fashion bone kunai, when a sudden presence in the air made him dodge to the left and almost fall off the roof he'd been standing on. He whipped back around to see another Anbu member with a katana standing before him, long purple hair rippling in the wind as she faced him.

He made an annoyed sound under his breath and tried to attack her with his bone sword, but her kenjutsu was better than he'd ever seen. She parried with a speed and skill that left no doubt that kenjutsu was her specialty, and then proceeded to attack him with a move he'd never heard of that ended up doing far more damage than he'd expected.

"I won't let you win," Kimimaro panted out, clutching the wound in his side she'd made. His sickness was more advanced than before, due to him using his kekkai genkai and his chakra. Every time he used his chakra now, he could feel it doing more damage to his internal organs. He didn't have long left to live.

"I made a promise to pursue peace, and you're in the way of that," she said, deflecting his blade with a particularly vicious intent. "I will not let you hurt our future!"

Kimimaro had promised to protect Orochimaru too, so he held off the skilled kunoichi for as long as he could. But there was far more to her skills than just kenjutsu, and soon he was falling under her onslaught of kenjutsu mixed with ninjutsu mixed with taijutsu. The combination of styles was simply too much to keep up with.

As he fell from the roof after one particularly brutal series of attacks, he felt something wet his face and he wondered if it was a tear of his own. But no—it had come from above, where the Anbu kunoichi stood watching him fall. He saw water dripping from the bottom of her mask, as if underneath she was crying unendingly. He fell down into the darkness and used the last ounce of his strength for his most potent move—a field of bones for the dead to lie on.

He lay on the ground, looking up at a sky made of bone spikes, which would be his final graveyard. He stretched out his awareness to see if he could feel any dead Leaf shinobi, but he hadn't taken a single life. How was that possible? His eyes widened as the woman he'd been fighting landed easily in a gap between spikes.

"Do you really think I'd let you hurt my comrades?" she asked, her voice muffled through her mask. "As a sensory type, my specialty is feeling the range of attacks. Every Konoha civilian and shinobi within your range was evacuated before I came to fight you."

The Anbu he'd left to take the civilians away—so they'd been more calculating than he'd ever expected. He reached as deep as he could, feeling the remnants of his chakra network blown apart, and he dredged up another ounce of chakra. This would kill him, since he had absolutely no network, but if he could do one final attack to take down this woman—

There was a cold feeling slicing through brain, then, and when he looked up he could only see out of one of his eyes. The other one… the katana was… oh…

* * *

The fight between Orochimaru and Sarutobi had come down to this: Sarutobi was using the Reaper Death Seal to pull Orochimaru's soul from his body, and Orochimaru was fighting it while trying to pull a sword through his body. Sarutobi couldn't fail in this—this was his one chance to fix the past mistake he'd made of letting Orochimaru live. For that end, he'd decided to sacrifice his own life even before he'd talked to Kakashi or Yugao. He would die with Orochimaru here, opening up a new, peaceful future for his village!

"Old man!" Orochimaru yelled, now beginning to panic. Sarutobi felt immensely sad that it had come to this, but perhaps this was for the best. Orochimaru had reached the point where he was unredeemable, and now he had to pay for his crimes. Sarutobi thought of Kakashi, of Yugao, of Minato, of Jiraiya, of Sasuke, of Asuma, of Konohamaru, of Konoha…

He pulled with all of his soul, and he could see the dark thing that was Orochimaru's soul start to give. By some blessing of fate, Orochimaru had been weakened in a fight against Naruto Uzumaki, and that put him on equal footing with Sarutobi, who was weakened by age. Naruto didn't know it, but he may have just unwittingly saved the entire village from years of torment.

"You have lost," Sarutobi breathed shakily, and when he cast his glance over Orochimaru's shoulder, his heart burned with love. Kakashi and Guy fought side by side to take down one of Orochimaru's giant snakes, and the duo was winning by miles. Jiraiya fought the other snakes himself, and he barely even had to try. The Anbu Black Ops were escorting the elderly and the very young to the safe spot, and directing them was a sorrowful but still living Yugao. Team 7, whom Sarutobi had feared for due the darkness he'd seen in Sasuke, had made their way to the village entrance and were holding back reinforcements with some of the most exceptional teamwork Sarutobi had ever seen. He couldn't look over his shoulder, but a while back he'd seen the Leaf genin from the Chuunin Exams fighting side by side with the Sand genin. All was not lost. Everyone burned with the Will of Fire, and it leant Sarutobi the strength he needed.

"No!" Orochimaru shrieked, but they both knew that it was too late. The Demon pulled Orochimaru's soul from his body and its katana began to fall.

"We will be locked in this battle for all of eternity," Sarutobi murmured. "But I don't mind. The hell of that world is nothing compared to the hell this world would be if I let my village fall."

Orochimaru locked gazes him, and there was pure hatred in his glare. Sarutobi smiled, seeing past the hatred to the soul of the student he'd once trained. Everything would be all right now. His people would care for each other. The katana severed Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi's souls, and Sarutobi died with a peaceful smile on his face.

* * *

"No," Sasori said calmly as the Sound Four tried to escape. He cut them down with ease, using a puppet for each of them. He'd come back to get the puppets Naruto had referred to as Hira and Hikami, and he'd sealed them inside scrolls with a small sigh of relief. He didn't like losing things that were dear to him.

He approached the scene on the roof where the barriers were rapidly fading from, and he walked through a miniature forest to come upon the bodies of the Third Hokage and his former comrade who had betrayed him. The Third Hokage was truly formidable, worthy of becoming a fantastic human puppet. However…

"You have my thanks," Sasori said, leaning down to place two light fingers on the smiling old man's eyelids, closing them. Out of respect for the old man, Sasori would leave him for his village, so they could have some peace of mind and closure. He already had a Kage anyway, and this one was too old to be beautiful.

"And you…"

Sasori placed his foot on Orochimaru's face, looking down at the man disdainfully. He'd chased this snake for so long that it was almost disappointing to see him get such a mild ending. He knew Orochimaru would hate it if Sasori used him as a puppet, but even that wasn't incentive enough for Sasori to make him one. No, he'd come here for a different purpose entirely.

He took out the fire bombs he'd borrowed from Konan and set them on Orochimaru's body, stepping back and snapping his fingers. The blaze ate away at the dark hair, the pale skin, the snakelike eyes. It lapped against bone, charring the white black, and Sasori thought Orochimaru's insides looking so dark was appropriate. After making sure every last scrap of who Orochimaru was had burned away, Sasori turned away, satisfied.

No one would be bringing his nemesis back with that pesky reanimation jutsu. For Orochimaru, it was over.


	20. Chapter 19: Mourning Blacks

Naruto was now slightly accustomed to seeing a different Uchiha's face when he woke, so when he groggily sat up in a familiar cave the first thing he thought was that at least Sasuke was with him to figure things out. But after a few second of letting his eyes adjust, he realized it wasn't Sasuke at all.

"Itachi?" Naruto asked, his heart leaping into his throat. It had seemed like it had been forever since he'd seen his favourite ninja, and for a second he thought he was dreaming. When the image didn't fade, however, he let out a yell of happiness and launched himself into Itachi's arms, burying his face in Itachi's cloak and laughing.

"It is you! Itachi, you'll never believe all the things that happened during the Exams! I met Sasuke, and we became really good friends, and then I went Nine-Tails but Sasuke was there, and Sakura and Sai too, and—"

"Naruto, calm down," Itachi said, and there was a hitch in his voice that Naruto didn't understand. He leaned back to look up questioningly at the elder Uchiha's face, and he felt a beat of fear when he saw the weariness and worry written there.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, peering around Itachi. Everyone was in the cave, although some of them were only there as astral projections. Pain, Konan, Sasori, Itachi, and Kisame were the only ones who were really there, the rest of the Akatsuki members glimmering with a rainbow sheen.

"Orochimaru has attacked Konoha," Pain answered, cutting his gaze to Itachi for a second before returning it to address Naruto. "It seems he was defeated, but Konoha is in shambles."

Naruto should've felt happy, and deep down there was an intense feeling of satisfaction. However, he thought of the faces of all the genin he'd met and worry hit him like a tsunami wave, almost knocking him over. Clinging to Itachi was the only thing that kept him on his feet, but Itachi didn't seem much better off. There was a nervous tension in the hand that was now laid on Naruto's head, as if Itachi needed strength.

"Itachi, Sasuke's okay," Naruto said with absolute conviction. "Before you guys came and got me, we did a lot of training. I told him a whole lot of jutsus, and he's amazing! He's already unlocked the Sharingan, too. Plus, Orochimaru went after him but I managed to stop him."

Naruto felt deep down that he was right about Sasuke, but he had no idea about Gaara, who hadn't known which side to join during the attack. Had he picked the winning side, or was he now a prisoner of Konoha? If he was, Naruto would storm back in there and destroy whatever forces were left, excluding the friends he'd made. And speaking of the friends he'd made… were Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, and the rest of them all right? He'd known there would be an attack on Konoha, but he hadn't thought it would be so soon. He'd still been trying to decide whether or not to warn everyone.

Itachi's hand relaxed on Naruto's head, and Naruto saw relief plain as day in Itachi's eyes. Despite Naruto being a kid, Itachi placed absolute trust in his opinion.

"That's fucking great and all, but who cares? We've got Konoha's jinchuuriki, so they can all die in a shithole for all they're worth," Hidan said, rolling his translucent, projected eyes.

"They're not all—" Naruto began, levelling a finger at Hidan, but his fingers were already throbbing and the movement made them hurt even more. He let out a small hiss under his breath, but it wasn't like he could curl his other hand around his fingers—all his other fingers were broken too.

Itachi grabbed his wrist and held it up, examining his broken fingers. Konan leapt from her perch beside Pain to come over too, taking out dressings to bind his fingers up. Naruto had been using his fingers all week even though they were broken, because he was intimately familiar with the pain anyway. The only problem was that now, instead of coming and going while he trained, this pain was constant and it just wouldn't go away.

"When did this happen?" Konan asked as her gentle hands patching him up so expertly he could barely feel them.

"A couple of weeks ago," Naruto muttered, and everyone stared.

"Weeks?" Kisame asked, narrowing his eyes. "You don't take weeks to heal."

"Last time he broke his fingers, they healed in a few days. This isn't normal, hm," Deidara muttered, to sounds of agreement from everyone around the circle. Pain observed Naruto with his Rinnegan, and something was evidently really bothering him.

"Tell us everything," he commanded, and Naruto felt sort of ashamed. He didn't really deserve to be in the presence of such strong ninjas when he was this weak. As Konan finished with his fingers, he lay back against the cool stone slab he'd woken up on and wondered where to start. There were some things he couldn't mention, but he'd do his best to tell the story in its entirety anyway. As he began with asking Gaara for Suna headbands, the cave fell silent, the only sound being the muffled pitter-patter of rain as the clouds opened up outside.

* * *

The sky itself seemed to weeping for the brave shinobi that had died protecting Konoha. Rain struck a sad melody on the stone of the Hokage's roof, and the thunder overhead sounded like sorrow. Gathered under the dark sky were the ones who remained, dressed in mourning black, covered in injuries. Sakura remembered the Hokage listening to her when she'd begged for a higher ranked mission, and she placed a single white flower on his memorial.

Sasuke remembered how impressed the Hokage had been by his skills, and how the old man had looked amused at his team's antics. He placed a single white flower on the memorial as well.

Sai thought of how he'd ended up on a team he loved because the Hokage had seen the potential for them to become friends, and his heart ached as he placed his flower on the memorial.

Far below, Kakashi stood in front of another memorial and read off the names of the brave Anbu who had died to protect the civilians. He recognized more than a few of them, and he bowed his head to pray that, wherever they were, they'd found peace. He turned when he heard footsteps behind him, and found Yugao standing there, holding a bouquet close to her chest.

This Yugao, dressed in a simple black dress with not a single weapon on her, looked so very small and fragile. Her usual cold confidence was replaced by sorrow, and at that moment she wasn't an exceptional shinobi or the Anbu Commander. She was just a woman grieving for the man she loved. Kakashi stepped aside to let her set her flowers down, and the two of them stood together in the rain, remembering.

Jiraiya leaned against one of the logs on the training field, thinking of his old sensei and his teammates. He grieved not just for the shinobi who had died in this attack, but everyone he loved who had died in all the others. Sarutobi, Minato, Yahiko, Kushina… was there no end to it?

Gaara and his siblings stood with the other Suna ninjas who had decided to help the Leaf in the end. There were graves in front of him, buried on the outskirts of Konoha, and in many of them were bodies of people he'd ended. Many of the bodies belonged to people from his village, and one empty grave even belonged to his father, who would never be found. Gaara had never been close to his father, but still…

Temari and Kankuro grieved beside him, and he supported his two older siblings with a heavy heart.

It took a long time for the sun to break through the clouds, but when it did, everyone it shone on was a little older, a little wiser, and a little more determined. It was an end, and it was a beginning.

* * *

Three days later, Kakashi and Yugao stood in the Hokage's chambers with Jiraiya, Team 7, and the Council.

"We need a new Hokage sooner rather than later to deal with this mess," Danzo Shimura was saying, and Sai knew exactly what he wanted. Danzo had told Sai to give him support in this, because coming from a shinobi on Kakashi's squad, it would be mean a great deal. Danzo looked at Sai and gave him the tiniest nod, one that only Sai saw. He fully expected to be supported.

"I agree," Sai said, unsmiling. "Which is why I think our team should go with Jiraiya to find Tsunade, as the Third Hokage wished."

Danzo stared at Sai in shock; evidently, he hadn't expected a betrayal like this. Sasuke and Sakura moved slightly closer to Sai as if to protect him in case Danzo tried to attack, a move Danzo didn't miss. His jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Just as he'd said nothing about the deaths of the Anbu members, instead content to try and seize power.

"You may think this is a debate but I assure you, councilman, it's not," Yugao said, her expression hidden behind her mask. "As the Anbu Commander, I have every right to see through the final mission the Third Hokage bequeathed unto me. Hiruzen Sarutobi's final mission was for Jiraiya and Team 7 to find Tsunade in the case of his death. Until that time, Kakashi Hatake is to take over as the acting Hokage."

"It's a position I'd rather not take, but if it was the Third's request, I'll do it," Kakashi said, coming to stand by Yugao. Jiraiya looked annoyed at how things were proceeding, but he went to take a stand by Kakashi and Yugao as well. Against six people, one of them the Anbu Commander and another a legendary Sannin, the three council members were forced to back down. It was the first time Sai had seen Danzo's ambition quenched, and he found himself enjoying it immensely.

He and his teammates had told Kakashi about Danzo's allying with Orochimaru, but Kakashi had said they couldn't make a move at this particular time. The balance of power was too fragile, and if they made any claims without irrefutable evidence, Danzo could use that to smash all credibility and take over. Kakashi had promised Danzo would eventually be dealt with however, and for that he was grateful. He just hoped it was sooner rather than later—he wasn't sure people understood just how dangerous a man Danzo was.

"I'll help just this once, and only because I'd like to see Tsunade's boo—er, eyes again," Jiraiya said, crossing his arms and pouting like a child. The man amused Sai, and Sai was rather excited to see what he was like on a journey. One of the most powerful ninjas in the world, revered as one of the Legendary Three… it would certainly be a journey to remember.

"So what are we waiting for?" Sasuke muttered, looking as annoyed as Jiraiya. He'd been in a foul mood since the battle, and everyone knew why—he was worried about Kaze. He wanted to dig into the Anbu files, but Yugao refused to let anyone who wasn't Anbu near them. Sai wasn't entirely sure what he was planning, but he knew Sasuke was bound and determined to find out more information. Sai and Sakura had sworn to do whatever they could to help.

"I dunno!" Jiraiya snapped, shooting an all encompassing glare around the room. "Let's get going, already!"

With that, the old man turned and clacked out of the room, his platform shoes rattling down the hallway. Team 7 exchanged glances, shrugged, and then hurried after him.

"Be careful!" Kakashi called after them, and then they started out to find the woman who would be their new village leader.

* * *

Three days after telling his story, Naruto was packing his bag to go on a mission with Itachi and Kisame. Namely, finding some amazing medical ninja called 'Tsunade,' who could heal almost anything in the world. After finishing his story, Pain had said Naruto's chakra sickness needed to be dealt with immediately, and everyone had agreed (but not without some cursing from Hidan),

"Naruto, how many times do we have to tell you not to use your fingers?" Kisame growled, grabbing Naruto's wrists as Itachi came over with a shake of his head to finish packing Naruto's bag.

"Aw come on, what's the big deal?" Naruto whined. No one was letting him do anything for himself. It wasn't like broken fingers were even that big a deal!

"You've been spoiled, not having to experience waiting for your body to heal itself," Itachi pointed out, and maybe that was true, but it would be fixed soon!

Naruto sighed, crossing his arms, and let Itachi and Kisame fix his bag up and put it on his back for him. He felt like a little kid, being treated like this. He wasn't some kid; he was going to be thirteen soon! As the three of them turned and began to make their way out of the cave, Naruto reflected back on some of the strange conversations he'd had in the past three days. Most of them had been the usual; everyone yelling at him for going off by himself, but Tobi and Zetsu were acting weird.

Tobi had shown up to the cave in his real form the second day, and he'd gone off with Naruto so they could talk privately, claiming it was a dango discussion. It wasn't—Tobi had wanted to talk to him as Obito, to ask if he'd said anything to Kakashi Hatake, since Naruto had left that part out of his story. Naruto had told him all about Kakashi's reaction to hearing Rin's name, and then the conversation he'd had with Kakashi the second night he'd spent in Sasuke's house.

The white-haired ninja had snuck in the bedroom window, surprising Naruto, who had freaked out a little since the jounin was seeing him without his Kaze puppet on. But Kakashi had already surmised Naruto was none other than the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki, and he was less interested in that than he was in hearing about how Naruto knew about Rin. Naruto absolutely refused to tell him, only saying that he knew Kakashi had Chidori'd Rin after promising to protect her. Kakashi, seeing that Naruto wouldn't budge, had quietly explained the truth. How Rin had thrown herself in front of his Chidori after learning that the Kiri ninjas had put a curse tag on her. And then… he'd wept. It had been dignified and silent, but the tears streaming down his face left no doubt that he was crying, even if no sobs wracked his body. Naruto had been so shocked he hadn't known what to say.

Naruto told the entire story to Obito, and Obito grew deathly silent as he listened.

"He said he was sorry it wasn't him," Naruto sighed. "Because he'd made a vow, and it would've been better to die than to break it."

Obito hadn't spoken to Naruto after that; he'd left abruptly, and he hadn't come back to the cave even twenty-four hours later.

Zetsu's conversation was even weirder. He kept asking Naruto if he still wanted to destroy the Leaf, and when Naruto said he did but didn't want to hurt his friends, Zetsu got scarily angry. It wasn't like Naruto was planning on giving up on the path of destruction, but Zetsu still seemed to take it that way. He'd said Naruto's hatred wasn't as brilliant anymore, and he'd left in an agitated state.

So. Needless to say, getting out of the stuffy cave was a relief. Walking between Kisame and Itachi, who for sure weren't mad at him, Naruto decided that he'd have as much fun on this journey as he could. And then, maybe, he'd even go visit Sasuke.

* * *

"Obito," Zetsu called, slinking out of the shadows the way he always seemed to, his face alight with anger. Obito was sitting outside of the Akatsuki's cave, frowning out into the desert as he thought about Naruto had said. Every time he'd gone back to Konoha to visit Rin's grave, Kakashi was near. Most people couldn't tell Kakashi's exact expression with the mask he always wore, but Obito could. Kakashi always radiated a quiet sorrow, and it had made Obito wonder…

Well, finding out that Kakashi was suffering was no surprise, but finding out that Kakashi was suffering because he'd broken his promise as well as killed Rin affected Obito more than he'd expected. And the fact that he'd said it should've been him, that he'd rather die… Obito couldn't help but think back to Rin's smile as he'd promised her he'd become Hokage and save the world. Sure, his Eye of the Moon plan was supposed to be one way of saving the world, but what would Rin think? Was Obito keeping his promise?

He tried to imagine what her eyes would look like if she found out, but he found he couldn't even remember their colour. Why? How could he have forgotten Rin's eyes? He knew they'd been bright, happy, and full of tenderness, but what colour were they? It had been so long since he'd talked with someone who knew her the way he did…

"Obito!" Zetsu called louder, and Obito's attention snapped to Zetsu with annoyance.

"What?"

"Going to Konoha changed Naruto," Zetsu said, sounding irritated. "His heart isn't as dark, and he's lacking the drive he used to have."

"He made friends, is all," Obito said, narrowing his eyes and wondering where Zetsu was going with this. He didn't like Zetsu's tone—he didn't like the interest Zetsu had taken in Naruto in general. Naruto held the darkness of the Akatsuki as close as a secret, but that darkness only managed to cast a shadow over his brightness instead of snuffing it out entirely. Occasionally, when Naruto was hurting others, he seemed to suffer. Obito could understand that feeling, and it shook him to the core sometimes. Whenever he was with Naruto, it felt like there was a strange disconnect between who he used to be and who he was now. As if who he used to be wanted to surface.

"We can't allow him to grow soft," Zetsu said almost pleadingly. "He's important to our plans. At the rate he's growing, he could surpass even Madara Uchiha, and with his vast reserves of chakra he could hold the Ten-Tails."

"He's a child," Obito snapped, feeling a rush of protectiveness. He didn't know where his sentimentality was coming from, but he couldn't shake the image of Kakashi weeping from his mind. There were things stirring in his heart that he'd tried to crush a long time ago. When he'd pictured the Infinite Tsukiyomi, it had always held him, Kakashi, Rin, and Minato. But if things really hadn't moved on from then, Naruto wouldn't exist. A Kakashi who could openly show his tears wouldn't exist. If there was no future, maybe there'd be no bad things, but would new good things ever be able to exist?

"He's a soldier," Zetsu said firmly. "And I'm afraid if you don't take action, I will."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Obito growled, but Zetsu was already gone. Obito put his head in his hands, feeling conflicted. Ever since Rin had died, he'd tried not to question his actions. But Naruto's appearance had gradually made him feel things he didn't want to feel, and he couldn't help a growing sense of discontentment. He sighed. The truth was, he just really missed his friends.

* * *

"Shizune!" Tsunade called, and her dark haired assistant shuffled over, leaning over Tsunade's shoulder to look at her cards. Shizune's eyes went wide at the sight; a royal flush. That would win the entire game, and huge stack of money that came along with it. It should be enough to pay off the bartender, who was eyeing a half tanked Tsunade suspiciously as if wondering whether or not she'd pay up.

"Play the damn cards already," one of the men in front of Tsunade slurred, running his hand across a red nose. Tsunade narrowed her eyes, then tossed the hand down. Everyone who had been crowded around to watch the game gaped in shock, and the man Tsunade had been playing against let out an anguished cry, slamming his tankard on the table so sake sloshed over the sides.

"Goddammit, the luck on this one!" he cried, and everyone around him muttered in agreement. But for the most part they were shinobi, and a couple were even sober, so their sharp eyes would've picked up whether or not Tsunade had cheated. Satisfied that she hadn't, the few sober shinobi helped Tsunade gather up her winnings to give to the bartender.

Afterwards, Tsunade turned to Shizune, her cheeks flushed a little from drink, and shook her head. Most people would be thrilled after the winning streak Tsunade had been on, but Tsunade looked on it with apprehension—she was so used to terrible luck that good fortune like this was suspicious.

"We're leaving this place," Tsunade said loudly. Shizune was pretty sure Tsunade had just meant it for her and the drink had made her louder, but all the other patrons called out good riddance to the woman who had taken all of their money. Shizune supported Tsunade, who wobbled along with a bottle in hand, as they made their way back to the inn they were staying at.

"We need to get out of this town, Shizune," Tsunade slurred, casting a critical glance at the shadowy alleyways and dark roofs that could hide anything. "If I'm this lucky right now, things are bound to get bad soon."

Shizune stifled a sigh; it was nice to stay somewhere for longer than a few weeks without getting run out of town.

"Very well, Lady Tsunade, but why don't we stick around for one more week? I want to take in a few more local sights before we leave. Surely one week won't make that big a difference?"

"One week'll make all the difference," Tsunade muttered, but since she didn't argue Shizune counted it as a victory. One more week couldn't hurt much, could it? After all, how much could really change in one week?


	21. Chapter 20: Those Who Dream By Day

Naruto decided that he had too much chakra, and that being strong wasn't always the best thing to be. He'd spent almost three weeks supressing his chakra now, and it was getting continuously harder. As he walked, he tried to let out just a small bit so the pressure wasn't weighing on him so much, but that was a big mistake.

It hurt so fucking bad it almost brought him to his knees, and he had to stop in the middle of a dusty road leading out of the Land of Wind to the Land of Rivers. He pressed his hand against his mouth and tried to stifle his coughing, but that didn't work _at all_ , because blood starting spilling between the cracks in his fingers anyway. Shitfuck, he hoped they'd get to this Tsunade lady soon.

"Naruto?" Itachi asked, and when he turned back his face creased in worry. He and Kisame hurried over, Kisame grabbing Naruto just as he was about to fall over. Okay, so no more releasing chakra.

"I'm fine," he managed to get out, but it wasn't like he could hide the scarlet flecks around his mouth. Kisame and Itachi exchanged glances, then Kisame reached over his back and pulled his sword, Samehada out. He unwrapped some of it and offered it to Naruto silently. Wondering what the whole thing was about, Naruto accepted the sword and immediately felt all his pent up chakra begin to disappear.

"Woah," Naruto breathed out. "Your sword is super fu—uh, super freaking cool."

Kisame chuckled at Naruto's little slip up and Itachi gave him a half-hearted glare.

"You're a walking disaster," Itachi said affectionately, reaching out to poke Naruto in the forehead. Naruto puffed out his cheeks as if annoyed, but truthfully travelling with Kisame and Itachi was his favourite. Itachi was usually quieter, happy to let Kisame do all the talking, and the two of them got along better than almost any team in the Akatsuki. Being with them made Naruto feel just a little lighter.

"You're too tiny to handle that much sword, so you may as well climb on my back," Kisame sighed. He strapped Samehada to his back and knelt down for Naruto to climb on. Naruto obliged, wrapping his arms around Kisame's neck as the shark man stood up, up, up. Kisame was the tallest guy in the entire organization, and since Naruto was shorter than most people it was really fun being this high. He made a face at Itachi, who was at least a foot shorter at the moment, and Itachi chuckled.

"Now, this is a one-time thing, you hear?" Kisame asked, but Naruto could hear a smile in his voice too. He hugged Kisame tight, laughing at how he could see the whole world from here. No wonder Kisame was so confident in his fighting abilities; he quite literally looked down on everyone!

"Tell me a story about the Hidden Mist and the Seven Swordsmen," Naruto said. Those were some of his favourite stories, and he always remembered Juzo fondly. Kisame had come after Juzo was gone, so he'd never known Juzo in the Akatsuki the way Naruto and Itachi had. Naruto had spent a lot of his first few months with Nagato and Konan, so he hadn't gotten to know Juzo really well, but from what he'd seen he liked the man. Juzo's obsessions with formations had been funny, and Itachi had liked him.

"Hmph, I'm sure I've told you all of them," Kisame snorted. "But if you insist, there was this one time we went to the Land of Tea…"

Naruto listened intently; Kisame said he'd told Naruto every story, but there were always more adventures to be heard. Even Itachi seemed absorbed in the story, because Kisame was an awesome storyteller, one of the best in the Akatsuki. After the story was over, Naruto felt his eyelids droop, lulled into sleep by the rhythm of Kisame's steps, and he fell asleep on Kisame's back, feeling warm and safe.

* * *

"It's just for a little while," Jiraiya said, practically drooling. They'd searched three villages so far, and there had been neither head nor tail of the legendary Sannin kunoichi. Jiraiya, tired and dusty, had decided they all needed a bath and he'd chosen a communal bathhouse, mostly because he was the biggest pervert Sasuke had ever met. Sakura raised an eyebrow, then shook her head, electing to sit this one out.

"I don't care about you so much," Jiraiya told Sakura. "But Sasuke and Sai, you're the bait. Your faces aren't bad so you'll attract all the women! Come on, it'll be nice. Lots of hot water, nice chicks, relaxing times…"

"I'll pass," Sasuke muttered. "I've got training to do."

"Then so will I," Sai agreed, and they went to join Sakura. Sasuke heard Jiraiya huff behind him, and what the pervy old man said next stopped Sasuke dead in his tracks.

"If you join me, I'll teach you one of the strongest jutsus in the world."

Sasuke turned a little, frowning at the lecherous grin on Jiraiya's face. He didn't want to believe that this man could teach him anything he couldn't learn on his own, but Jiraiya was considered one of the legendary Sannin. It was possible that Jiraiya actually knew something useful, although Sasuke was skeptical.

"Is it a real jutsu or is it something dumb, like turning into a woman or something?"

"A jutsu that turns you into a sexy woman? Gimme," Jiraiya said, his expression lewd. Sasuke sighed; sitting naked in a communal bath with an old man wasn't exactly his idea of fun. He wondered what Kaze would think of it, and he could picture Kaze dying of laughter, banging a fist full of broken fingers on the ground then wincing before continuing to laugh.

"Oh? Is that smile because you're imagining a sexy little minx?" Jiraiya asked, elbowing Sasuke eagerly. "What's she like? Lots of curves?"

More like a fox, Sasuke almost blurted out, then felt his face grow warm. He hadn't been thinking of Kaze like that, but he was so used to shooting back whatever answers came to mind that he'd automatically thought up a clever response. It was Jiraiya's fault for using a word that sounded like minks, as in the animals. It would've been a funny quip if he'd said it to Kaze. Or actually, no, no, that really wouldn't have been a good thing to say to Kaze at all.

"I'll come with you, so shut up already," Sasuke mumbled, still embarrassed by his own thoughts. Sai decided to stay with Sakura, not interested in any new jutsus, and Sasuke ended up sitting in the bathhouse alone with Jiraiya. After half an hour, some women actually did show up, like Jiraiya had predicted. They came into the bath and fussed over Sasuke, but he had no interest in big-breasted, eyelash-fluttering women fawning over him. He wished Kaze were here, because Kaze could make him laugh like no one's business.

"Hey, kid…" Jiraiya murmured to Sasuke in a lull between women. Sasuke offered Jiraiya his most unimpressed smile. "Stop glaring at me like that or your face'll get stuck that way. Now, tell me… are you even into women?"

"I'm leaving," Sasuke said abruptly, rising to go.

"No, no, no, never mind. Sit down and let me tell you about the jutsu. It's called the Rasengan, and it was developed by Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage."

The name of the Fourth sounded familiar, but Sasuke couldn't quite put his finger on why. Putting it to the back of his mind, he leaned forward and listened to what Jiraiya had to say. As far as jutsus went, it actually wasn't bad. In fact, it was pretty amazing. Sasuke was determined to learn it before Jiraiya had even finished explaining it. He couldn't wait to show it to Kaze when they next found each other.

* * *

The nightmares were back for the first time since he'd conked out in the Chuunin Exams. They always started the same; long, red hair curtaining him and drops of crimson running down a white face as a woman smiled down sadly at him. He felt safe with her and he reached up for her, but suddenly she was ripped away with a scream and replaced by the leering face of a fox. In the fox's eyes, Naruto saw horrible things; wars, deaths, sobbing ninjas, ninjas screaming in hatred.

He stumbled back, suddenly old enough to move away, and then turned to run. But when he turned he ran smack into an older ninja with long brown hair cut short on top, who was looking at him with wide red eyes. He didn't know how he knew, but somehow he thought that this must be the end because the shinobi was using Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Indra," he pleaded, but it was like the man couldn't hear him. Behind Indra, there was a shadow with its hand on his shoulder, and it was whispering into his ear.

"Please listen to me," Naruto begged, and for a second Indra looked unsure. Then the whispering grew louder and he turned the full force of the Mangekyou on Naruto. Things became distorted after that, and Naruto screamed and screamed as the suffering of hundreds of shinobi was displayed before him in vivid detail. He could feel his own personality beginning to break down until he was swept up in a dark tide of hatred and sorrow, and everything that he was became unravelled.

 **"That's enough,"** a deep voice rumbled through Naruto's suffering, and then everything faded away until Naruto was standing just outside of Kurama's prison. This had been how he'd first met Kurama too—the fox had saved him from the exact same dream. Breathing hard and trembling, Naruto stumbled up to the prison bars and pressed his face against them, looking at the massive fox.

"Why does this keep happening to me?" Naruto whispered. He didn't understand the dreams that came almost nightly. Even sleeping in the same hideout as the entire Akatsuki hadn't made him feel safe when he slept, although he never brought it up. The only time he hadn't had the dreams was when he'd spent all that time with Sasuke, as if Sasuke was some kind of nightmare-repeller. Right now, he really wished the young Uchiha was with him.

 **"Your destiny is far greater than even the Akatsuki realizes,"** Kurama growled. **"Zetsu believes he knows the extent of it, but even he's wrong. You will play a role perhaps as great as Hagoromo."**

"Who's that?" Naruto asked, confused.

 **"Ah, little kit, you have much to learn. For now, rest. I will watch over your dreams."**

Naruto wanted to ask more, but he suddenly felt sleepy and he fell back, stopped from hitting the water by a cushion of Kurama's chakra. The rest of the night was peaceful, his dreams containing only scenes where Itachi instructed him and Sasuke on how to properly control chakra. It was boring, and it was one of the best dreams Naruto ever had in his life.

* * *

Six days later, when Tsunade was sure Shizune must have dragged her around to see every single twig and rock in the small town, the two of them were packing up to leave the inn. Tsunade was chucking folded up clothes at Shizune, and Shizune was shaking her head as she was forced to refold them and pack them into bags.

"I was sure that shirt was around here somewhere…" Tsunade was muttering, digging through her wardrobe. A sudden thought made her freeze. "Shizune, I didn't take off my shirt or anything while I was drunk, did I?"

"Of course no—"

A knock at the door interrupted Shizune and both women turned to face it. Tsunade glowered at Shizune, willing her to answer the door, but Shizune held up the clothes Tsunade had been throwing around, which she was still folding. With a roll of her eyes, Tsunade stomped over the door, ready to tell the innkeeper that they technically had another six minutes to check out, but when she flung the door open the people standing there didn't resemble the plump, old innkeeper in the slightest.

One of them looked like a human fish, blue scales where skin should be and things that looked like gills under his eyes. The other one was handsome and familiar in a way Tsunade couldn't place, but he looked like he hadn't slept in about a hundred years. The third was a tiny boy who was squinting up at Tsunade as if she wasn't at all what he was expecting. They didn't seem like the type of people who would usually be seen together, but the two men were dressed in similar robes and the boy's clothes were also a somber black. Tsunade sighed, crossing her arms over he breasts.

"Really, your type always bring a kid with them. Is it supposed to make me sympathetic? This kid isn't even cute."

"Hey, listen here, you old bag," the kid began, and Tsunade stiffened, not hearing anything else he said. Old bag? Old bag? Tsunade drew her fist back and let it fly at the squirt, ready to reduce him to nothing with a single punch. Since he was tiny and weak-looking, she expected him to take the hit and go flying, but he jumped out of the way with a cluck of his tongue, shaking his head.

"That's fuckin' dangerous, you!" he yelped, but she wasn't finished with him yet. She used chakra to make herself quicker and spun on her heel, bringing a leg up to kick the brat in the face. He went flying that time, but unfortunately Tsunade hadn't been paying much attention and she'd ended up kicking him straight into her room. He was about to hit the wall, and Tsunade panicked a little, wondering if it would make him bleed. Until the handsome ninja was suddenly behind him, catching his little body before it could hit anything. The other one—the one who looked like a shark—had shifted his humongous sword when she'd attacked and now it was at her throat.

"And here I thought you were just religious freaks," Tsunade growled, her eyes taking in the huge fishy man's threatening stance. "Do you really mean to come in here and threaten me, daughter of the First and one of the three legendary Sannin?"

"Kisame," the dark-haired ninja said warningly from where he held the wincing little boy. "Stand down. We're not here to fight with anyone."

The fish man—Kisame—lowered his sword immediately, but not without a glare that said he could have it up just as fast if Tsunade tried anything. Tsunade scoffed at his look; he seemed strong, but she was confident she could defeat him. The one she felt more power from was actually the quieter of the two, who was now watching her with intense dark eyes, his brow furrowed thoughtfully.

"If you wanna hear about religion, I can tell you about Jashin!" the kid spoke into the silence, and he gave a radiant smile that made Tsunade's heart begin to ache. It shocked her at first, and it took her a second to realize that it was because the smile made him look like Nawaki.

"I told you not to talk about Jashin," the dark-haired ninja sighed, and the kid pulled a face. As he was set back on his own two feet, dark cloak swishing down about his ankles, he seemed like Tsunade's kick hadn't really affected him that much. He hadn't had time to dodge, but Tsunade realized now that she thought back that he'd managed to get one arm up. For a kid, he was pretty impressive. Tsunade turned her back on sword-fish-guy and studied the kid, who studied her in return.

"Don't tell me you're one of those little fools with a big dream," Tsunade muttered. She could feel Shizune's eyes on her, but her assistant remained silent.

"Dreams don't make people foolish," the kid snapped, rising to the bait.

"Oh? So what, you're going to get super strong, gain everyone's respect, and become Hokage? Is that it?"

"Hokage?" the kid snarled, bristling with anger. "Don't joke around. My dream is much bigger than that."

Tsunade didn't know why she'd expected the kid to want to become Hokage—now that she looked, the Leaf headband the dark-haired ninja wore had a slash through it. She must be losing it, thinking that this kid was like Nawaki and Dan. He was clearly a lot darker, and both of his guardians were rogue shinobi. She twitched her fingers slightly in a silent gesture to Shizune. She was sure she'd been subtle, but the dark-haired ninja caught it. He cast a glance at Shizune, and suddenly Tsunade's assistant gasped and slumped to the side.

"Shizune!" Tsunade cried out, then turned to find herself face-to-face with the lethal power of a Mangekyou Sharingan. She cursed herself as she froze, unable to move her body. Of course he'd looked familiar—those were the features of an Uchiha, and a rogue Uchiha could be none other than Itachi. A slight hangover had made her mind too dulled to realize it, and now she'd be killed. Well, served her right, but Shizune didn't deserve this!

"I'm not going to hurt you," Itachi Uchiha said in a deep, inflectionless voice as his Mangekyou faded into a normal Sharingan and he came to stand right in front of Tsunade. This man was a genius who could easily be considered equal to a Sannin, so Tsunade didn't have many options. If she wanted to save Shizune and have even a chance of escape, she'd have to use her Strength of a Hundred Seal. Would it even release under these circumstances?

"I need your medical expertise."

She could try it anyway, because even if Itachi was strong, his chakra control couldn't be—

"Huh?" Tsunade asked, her mind finally catching up to what Itachi had just said. She squinted at him suspiciously, waiting for him to say he was joking and attempting to kill her, but his face remained stony and impassive.

"My companion," he gestured to the boy, "needs your help mending his chakra network."

Tsunade looked between Itachi and the boy about fifteen times, completely baffled now. From what she'd heard, Itachi had massacred his entire family in cold blood just to test out his strength. He was a killer with a heart made of ice, and he lived in the darkest parts of the shinobi world, one where even the brightest hearts could get lost in. Supposedly.

Also, he was supposed to have at least a modicum of intelligence.

"I may be one of the country's—if not the world's—best healers, but even I can't heal a chakra network," Tsunade sniffed, trying to look like she was confident in her abilities. It could still come to a fight if Itachi was stupid enough to think she was refusing out of spite.

"He ain't asking you to fix it for me, lady!" the kid said, stepping forward to glare at her childishly. "I just need you to block the holes long enough for my chakra to heal it."

Itachi didn't laugh. The kid didn't laugh. Swordfish (she may as well call him that, since he was a fish with a sword) didn't laugh. So it certainly wasn't supposed to be a joke. Yet Tsunade couldn't help it—she burst out laughing at the three fools who were probably as strong as a Hokage if they were put together, clutching her stomach as tears of mirth pooled in her eyes.

"W-what exactly d-do you think chakra is?" she laughed helplessly. "Magic?"

Itachi suddenly closed his eyes with a long sigh, releasing her from being frozen, and the room seemed to relax a little. Or at least, everyone in the room save the brat, who looked insulted beyond belief, as if he couldn't believe she'd laughed at him. Before he could start yelling again, Tsunade made her way over to the bed and checked Shizune carefully. The woman was fine—the genjutsu Itachi used seemed to be some pleasant little dream just to put her out.

"Hey, listen to me!" the kid started yelling at Tsunade's back, just like she'd thought he would. "Do you know who I am?"

No. For some odd reason, she didn't know who this twelve-year-old boy who hadn't had time to make a name for himself was. Huh. Funny.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

He let the name hang in the air for a few seconds, as if expecting her to leap for joy or scream or something. When she arched one eyebrow with a nonchalant shrug, his shoulders drooped and all the air seemed to leave him. Well, now she kind of understood why Itachi kept the brat around—he was certainly fun to bug.

However, Tsunade did recognize the name, and now she realized what the marks on the kid's face were. He was the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails and the son of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. She'd heard through the grapevine that he'd gone missing at some point, but since she'd stopped caring about Konoha's affairs a long time ago, she hadn't paid much attention. Studying the scene before her, she thought she might've heard that he'd disappeared around the time Itachi had slaughtered his clan. It was clear now that Itachi must've taken the little jinchuuriki with him for whatever reason. Power, probably.

"Well, Naruto Uzumaki, I see absolutely no reason to help you," Tsunade stated blandly, hiding a smile as Naruto continued to sag even lower. There were actually two good reasons to help him—Swordfish and Itachi, who could kill Shizune—but mentioning that didn't seem like a particularly good thing to do at this juncture.

Knowing he had a bijuu inside him made the entire thing a little less ridiculous, too, considering that Tsunade had heard tales of how Tailed Beasts could grant their vessels legendary regenerative powers. Like skin, chakra networks couldn't heal because the regenerative powers required to heal them needed to be faster than any human healing, but theoretically if Tsunade held the holes together it could work with the Nine-Tail's chakra.

"I could use force, but I was hoping it wouldn't come to that," Itachi said carefully, and Tsunade was a little shocked at how polite he seemed. From what she'd heard, he was the type of guy who would already be slicing fingers off Shizune to 'encourage' Tsunade to help. Instead, he was watching her warily, looking like he actually didn't want to fight. She glanced back at the kid, who was now looking at Itachi with shining eyes, as if Itachi was some kind of hero.

"Tell me what your dream is," Tsunade said, sitting on the bed beside Shizune and pretending she didn't hear Itachi. It was because Naruto reminded her of Nawaki, yes, but also because if the rumours about Itachi weren't true, and there were underlying circumstances behind his clan's massacre… If that were the case, then the dark-haired shinobi standing before her must have walked on the outskirts of hell. For that reason alone, she may as well hear them out.

"My dream?" Naruto asked, all silliness gone from expression as he straightened. His mouth opened, and then he paused. He seemed to fight with what to say, and when he finally told her what his dream was, Tsunade understood why. It was frightening, beautiful, and terrible. The entire time he spoke, Swordfish and Itachi had to look away, as if they couldn't bear what he was saying.

"I…" Tsunade began. She swallowed thickly; she couldn't say it was childish dream, because children didn't think the way he did. She found she really couldn't say anything at all; in a weird way, it still reminded her of Dan and Nawaki, if their dreams had been twisted and reflected back at them in the darkest way possible. Yet it wasn't an evil dream, not really. It was wholly selfless, to the degree that it made Tsunade's heart stutter sadly. The war was over. People weren't supposed to think like this.

"Very well," Tsunade rasped, finding it hard to speak into the heavy silence. "I'll help you."


	22. Chapter 21: Those Who Dream By Night

"So, finding it difficult yet?"

"Screw off, old man, this is nothing."

Despite his cocky words, Sasuke was sweating so much he'd had to remove his shirt. Trying to make the water rotate inside the stupid water balloon was not working. If he were an idiot like Kaze, he might've had a few choice words to say to Jiraiya, who'd claimed the training was nothing major. As it was, he really did understand now why combining profanities was so satisfying—one curse wasn't enough to express his levels of frustration.

"Come on, Sasuke, we don't have all day," Sakura called from beneath the tree, hiding a laugh with her hand when Sasuke glared daggers at her.She wasn't standing in the heat, with the sun beating down on her while she used up every ounce of chakra she had. Her and Sai were in the shade of an expansive tree, lazily leaning against each other as they mocked Sasuke's pathetic attempts. Somehow during the course of the months they'd all spent together, Sakura and Sai no longer found him intimidating in the slightest. It was horrible.

"She's right. While you've been out here making a fool of yourself for the past week, I've been hitting up all the hot springs and bathhouses we've passed," Jiraiya said self-importantly, nodding as if he'd made some great sacrifice. "I found a woman—lord, the knockers on her, you should've seen them—who'd met Tsunade. She's gambling what little youth she has at a small city a few hours' walk away."

"Then I'll train while we walk," Sasuke gritted out, and Jiraiya openly laughed at him. Sakura and Sai joined in, and Sasuke would've destroyed the lot of them if he hadn't been so busy with the fuckingpieceofshit water balloon. Instead, he bore their laughter with dignity—in his opinion, anyway—and followed after them as they began making their way to the city. He'd have this down by the time they reached the city, and when he next met up with Kaze, his rival would be duly impressed. After all, this was a jutsu made by the Fourth Hokage, who was apparently a pretty amazing guy.

* * *

"This will hurt. A lot," Tsunade warned as she set Shizune down in an armchair across the room. Naruto took his shirt off like she'd asked him to and lay on her bed. Well, that wasn't encouraging. Naruto knew pain intimately, but he still wasn't a fan of it, and the pain that plagued him every time he tried to use his chakra was an experience that transcended merely 'unpleasant.' Still, it wasn't as bad as the agony of having the chakra cloak peel his skin away, so he'd suck it up and bear with it.

"I'm ready," he said bravely, offering Tsunade his best smile. She'd told him before they started that the slightest mishap could kill him, because if she slipped even a little when Kurama's chakra was healing him, the chakra would burn him from the inside out and he'd die in horrible, agonizing pain. Itachi's lips had gotten thinner and thinner as she'd spoke, and Naruto had slipped his hand in Itachi's and squeezed it reassuringly. It hadn't helped, and Kisame looked more green than blue, but it was necessary.

"Alright. Can you… er, this may be a strange question, but you can you contact the kyuubi?"

It always surprised Naruto how many people there were who didn't understand how being a jinchuuriki worked. The only person he could talk to about it was Gaara, although Sasuke had somehow been in Naruto's head and found out about Kurama, so maybe Sasuke would understand too. Nevertheless, he shut out his thoughts about that and closed his eyes. Kurama was waiting for him.

 **"Lucky little kit, I never expected you to find someone who could help so quickly,"** Kurama said, rising to pad over and stand at the bars of the cage. **"I will do what I can, but if there's one slip-up, it's the end for both of us. Now is your last chance to remove the seal."**

"Not a chance," Naruto laughed with a feral smile. "You need me just as much as I need you, so you'd better behave, stupid fox."

Naruto wasn't sure, but he could've sworn there was real amusement glinting in Kurama's narrowed eyes. Then Kurama's chakra oozed from between the bars, pooling at Naruto's feet and waiting. Naruto gave one sharp nod to Kurama, and the fox actually returned it, large ears twitching in anticipation. Then Naruto opened his eyes to stare into a pair of brown ones, which were studying him curiously.

"He's ready too," Naruto confirmed, and Tsunade reached out, laying one hand on Naruto's stomach and one over his heart. There was a strange sensation as Tsunade's chakra permeated through his skin and flowed over his chakra network. It was a strange, gentle probing sensation, but it was more uncomfortable than painful.

"There," Tsunade muttered, and all of her chakra came together so he could feel it like a lump near the bottom of his sternum. "It's in a tricky spot, so I can't hold it for long."

Kurama took over then, and the normally invisible seal on Naruto's stomach rose to the surface as the red chakra of the Nine-Tails flowed into him. It was like fire scorching his veins, chasing away rational thought and logic until there was heat, heat, heat, and the fire was lapping at his lungs and heart. He heard Tsunade inhale sharply, but he was too focused on not flinching away from Tsunade's hands to glance at her.

The power inside him only grew in strength, and he could feel the heat in his eyes now, narrowing his pupils and turning his irises red. His lips pulled back from his teeth as his canines extended, and his nails ripped the sheets as he dug them into the bed. He wanted to destroy something—anything—and every ounce of his willpower wasn't going to be enough to keep him from doing so.

There was pain, too—oh Jashin, there was pain, as his chakra network was forced to mould itself back together—but pain seemed to fade in the face of the hatred he felt. He wanted sharp claws in soft flesh, tearing, ripping, shredding, killing, butchering, slaughtering, bloody blood—

"Almost finished," Itachi said quickly, taking one of Naruto's hands. Tsunade shifted just a little as Kisame took his other hand, and it was at Kisame that Naruto forced his gaze to. Kisame knew what it was like to desire death, to thirst for it with a passion that only a good fight could slake.

"If for nothing else, hold it together for the fights to come," Kisame growled, gripping Naruto's hand with a strength that would break it if he weren't the Nine-Tails' jinchuuriki. Yes, Kisame understood, and the thought of future fights—maybe with Konoha—was enough to calm Naruto until Kurama's chakra gradually faded away. By the time Tsunade removed her hands, all traces of Kurama's influence were gone.

 **"Are you alright, kit?"** Kurama asked from deep inside Naruto, and Naruto muttered an affirmative to him. When he sat up, his insides were still slightly sore, but he ignored the pain to try his chakra out. The feeling of chakra flowing through his network was as welcome as water after dying of thirst. Naruto had never realized just how much he'd taken it for granted until now, but as he flexed his hands and felt chakra tingling in his fingertips, he was overcome with relief. He was useful to the Akatsuki again. He could do his duty.

"That was certainly an… interesting experience," Tsunade breathed, wiping her brow as if what she'd done had taken a lot out of her. "I don't know much about the healing powers of a Tailed Beast, but I think you should rest up for a few days anyway."

"I'll be fine! I feel—"

"Then do you mind if he rests here with you in case anything goes awry?" Itachi interrupted Naruto smoothly. He was much more relaxed now that he knew Naruto wasn't going to die drowning in his own blood, apparently. Kisame and Naruto shot Itachi twin glares, but Itachi didn't waver. Tsunade's nose wrinkled as she watched Itachi, but it wasn't in disgust or malice. She seemed almost like she pitied him.

"I'll look after him for the next week, but you two need to find somewhere else to go. As a kid, he's less likely to look suspicious. Plus, he's not technically a rogue ninja—he's only a missing one. I don't want to draw any attention."

"That's acceptable," Itachi conceded, dipping his head in Tsunade's direction respectfully. Naruto wished he could be as cool and mature as Itachi, but keeping a cool head at all times was impossible. He'd mentioned it once or twice to the elder Uchiha, however Itachi always said he wished he was more like Naruto. Naruto really didn't get it.

"I suppose, but if you hurt him in any way, we'll be back for your head," Kisame snarled, his fist tightening around his sword menacingly. Tsunade waved this off with a roll of her eyes.

"As if I'd hurt him after healing him. Now go on and be off. I'll gladly give the brat back in a week."

"Oh you'll give him back. Though I don't know how 'glad' you'll be for that in a week. Our little fox has a way of getting in people's hearts," Kisame chuckled. He reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair before turning to leave.

"Sorry, but we all need you to be okay," Itachi said. He reached out with two fingers and poked Naruto in the forehead while Naruto scowled; he didn't want to hang around this old bag for a week, he wanted to be back training with his family. The only reason he didn't interject with a speech on how he'd be fine was because he wasn't entirely sure if he was completely healed or not. As soon as he knew he was fine, though, he was gone!

* * *

Sasuke had been so proud of himself when he'd gotten the water balloon down, mostly because he'd thought that now it was time to learn the Rasengan. Unfortunately, Jiraiya had revealed that it was only the first step, and that now Sasuke would have to practise with rubber balls. Goddammit.

He'd given up for the moment as they finally reached the city Tsunade was supposedly staying in. It wasn't anything special—there were a lot of civilians, a lot of taverns, and tons of drunks—but it was a change of scenery. There weren't as many ninjas here, and the merchants on the side of the road were selling more produce than weapons. People also seemed friendlier to strangers here; they'd flash him smiles, wave at Jiraiya, coo at how cute Team 7 was. There wasn't as much suspicion or fear; things were more unbiased.

"Since you guys can all handle yourselves, I need to bathe," Jiraiya snickered, drool at the corners of his mouth as he took in a couple of young beauties walking by. "Tsunade is at one of the inns here, so split up and start searching. I'll help later on. Buh-bye!"

He took off after the women, leaving Team 7 to make faces at each other. They each decided to take a portion of the city and check the inns, meeting up again to share their results when they were finished. Sakura took one end, Sai took the other, and Sasuke was left in the middle.

He shoved his hands in his pockets moodily, angry that he hadn't been able to train more. Angry that he hadn't found anything more on Naruto Uzumaki. And that Kaze was gone. And that he still didn't have any solid leads on Itachi.

Itachi… his brother was never far from his thoughts, but things were starting to change now. He kept finding himself back in memories where Itachi was the kind older brother Sasuke had convinced himself was a lie, and he kept coming back with a start, hearing his younger self wonder why. Kaze's words also played over and over again in his mind like a melody he just couldn't get out. Could it really be… could Itachi really have had a reason for killing their family? He didn't want to believe there was anything that could justify the killing, but…

"Another kid?" the woman whose door he'd just knocked on snapped. He'd been lost in his thoughts, knocking on doors and asking people if they were Tsunade, but this reaction took him by surprise. Had he accidentally strayed into Sakura or Sai's territory?

"So you're not Tsunade?" Sasuke asked, wishing he'd paid more attention. He was sure he'd stayed within the parameters Team 7 had set. The woman's expression went from annoyed to suspicious, and she squinted at Sasuke with a frown.

"And not just a kid… an Uchiha," she muttered. Sasuke did a double take, wondering how she knew. His eyes went up to her forehead, and he stared dumbly at the telltale diamond Jiraiya had mentioned. Wait… so she actually was Tsunade? This young, big-breasted lady who was supposed to be Jiraiya's age? Jiraiya had said she'd look young, but still, this was insane.

"We've been looking everywhere for—"

The door was jerked from Tsunade's hands and she stumbled back in surprise as it was opened all the way from the other side. Sasuke leapt back, wondering if someone was about to attack, but the person who launched themselves at Sasuke was too quick for him to dodge or use his Sharingan. He felt hands on him and thought he was about to be torn apart, but apparently this attack wasn't one meant to harm.

"SASUKEEEE!"

Sasuke stumbled back and almost fell, only just managing to hold himself up. When he realized who was squeezing him so tightly he could barely breathe, however, his knees almost gave out again in shock. It was impossible, there was no way… yet here Kaze Naminato was, hugging him and giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Kaze?" Sasuke asked dumbly. He was too stunned to react beyond staring at the fluffy yellow that was tickling his cheek.

"You're here, you're really here! I dunno how you ended up here, but this is fucking great! I'm so super happy, Sasuke, you have no idea!"

The familiar voice brought him back to his senses, but it still took him a minute to regain his composure. The relief he felt was almost overpowering, and he had no idea why. Seeing Kaze alive, happy, and well somehow made his heart swell dangerously, and for half a second his arms rose as if to hug Kaze back. Then he got a hold of himself, his face flushing a little as he tried to scowl.

"O-okay, okay, I get it. You can let go of me now," Sasuke choked out as Kaze pressed his face into Sasuke's shoulder and inhaled. Was Kazesmelling him? The idiot was seriously like an animal!

It took another few minutes for Kaze to let go, and when he did he practically glowed with joy, radiating happiness as if it were about to burst through skin. Sasuke flush grew into a full blush and he had to look away, scratching his nose to hide his crimson face. He didn't understand his own reaction to Kaze's sudden appearance at all. All he knew was that it felt like he could breathe a little easier, and had Kaze always been so attractive?

 _I can't believe I just thought that. I did **not** just think that._

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, feeling uncomfortable and happy and awkward all at once. Kaze, as usual, was oblivious.

"My older brothers brought me to Tsunade to heal my chakra network. And it worked! Hey, since I'm staying here for a week, we can train together again!"

"Kaze, I mean… where were you? What happened?" Sasuke asked, his emotions trying to sort themselves out. Right now, they were somewhere between incredulous and angry. He wanted to hit Kaze for being so nonchalant about the disappearance, for not contacting him to say he was okay. He wanted to hug Kaze for ending up being okay, for looking at him with such an adoring expression Sasuke didn't know what to do with it.

"I can't say much, but my siblings don't like me in Konoha, you know? I was planning to get into contact with you, though, honest! I heard the village was destroyed and I was worried about you, too, but I thought you just had to be alright—"

"The village was destroyed?" Tsunade asked, speaking for the first time since Kaze had launched himself past her. She'd visibly paled, and her hands were trembling. Sasuke exchanged a glance with Kaze, then nodded mutely. For a moment, he'd forgotten the reason he'd came, but he still had a mission to do. If he could complete it quickly, maybe he'd even time to hang out with Kaze. Gesturing for her and Kaze to sit (except not on the chair, since there was a passed out woman there… what was _that_ about?), Sasuke explained the reason he'd come and what everyone needed Tsunade to do.

* * *

Kisame and Itachi parted ways to check out different parts of the city. That, and also because two sinister shinobi dressed the exact same way would certainly draw unwanted attention. Kisame didn't know where Itachi went, but he knew exactly where he wanted to go. Cities made his skin itch, the desire to fight surfacing quicker than usual, and Kisame couldn't afford to get into a fight and fail his comrades.

So he went a little ways out of the city to go check out a lake they'd walked by. He supposed that if he really wanted, he could summon a few sharks and try to fight them, but that wasn't very satisfying since sharks couldn't fight back. In the end, all he did was sit on the end of a rickety old dock leading into the lake, staring at the water.

He remembered his first conversation with Itachi, and it was hard to believe things had come this far since. He'd been so convinced he had no place in this world or any true identity, but Itachi and Naruto had changed everything. Itachi had quietly and without judgement accepted Kisame as his partner and companion, giving him a place to belong. Naruto, who was one of the few other people within the Akatsuki who knew about the Infinite Tsukiyomi plan, had given Kisame an identity as someone who was trying to protect a dream.

The two of them had given Kisame hope, and he sometimes wondered lately if maybe he wasn't destined to die meaninglessly after all. He still liked fighting, but it wasn't all he had anymore. What he had now was Naruto's unshakable faith in the future, and for the first time, he was happy. From now on, maybe things would be—

A cold feeling sliced through Kisame's body, and his entire soul shuddered as he felt something foreign enter him. Shocked, he looked down, sure there'd be a sword or something sticking through his midsection, but he didn't see anything. Slowly, his neck creaking with the effort, he turned to look over his shoulder.

"Y-you," he spat, as blood ran down his back and seeped into the cracks on the dock. "I don't… understand…"

Zetsu stared at him unblinkingly, but instead of his usual black-and-white self, this Zetsu was completely black. His arm was stuck through Kisame's lower back, and the sight was so unexpected that Kisame didn't know how to react. He knew the Eye of the Moon plan better than anyone, and he wasn't planning on betraying it anytime soon. He and Naruto were supposed to help enact it together along with Zetsu, so why…

"Dragging his desire to kill away… You're good at that, aren't you?" Black Zetsu asked, his face full of scorn. "You, Itachi, everyone, you're becoming too soft towards him, and turning him too soft in return. I think a little betrayal is just the thing to put an end to that."

The coldness radiating outwards from Black Zetsu's arm spread, and Kisame could feel himself rapidly losing control over parts of his body. He instinctively understood that Black Zetsu was planning to take him over, and along with the words he'd spoken, it was clear the dark man was going to use Kisame to hurt Naruto. Kisame struggled against the feeling, but he was more or less helpless. As blackness threatened to consume his conscious, Kisame thought back to the first time he'd thought life was more than just killing and death.

 _"Come on, one more story!" Naruto begged as they made their way to the Village Hidden in the Mist. It was the first time Kisame was going back there since he'd joined the Akatsuki, and it was giving him the jitters to think about it. Itachi remained silent, but he kept casting Kisame wary looks, almost seeming concerned. Naruto, of course, didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary._

 _"I'm all out of stories!" Kisame sighed, rolling his eyes to the heavens and wondering what he'd done to be cursed with such a talkative kid. Since all their mission entailed was grabbing a scroll and getting out, Pain had allowed Naruto to go with them. As annoyed as Kisame was with how much Naruto poked and prodded him for stories, he couldn't help also feel slightly cheered up by the brat's presence. Naruto, even more than Tobi, brought something to the Akatsuki that no one could quite name, but that was incredibly welcome._

 _"Aw come on, you always say that and it's never true," Naruto muttered, puffing his cheeks out in annoyance._

 _"If you don't indulge him, he'll never give up," Itachi pointed out, much to Kisame's surprise. Itachi was usually so silent Kisame sometimes forgot he was there, but there were sometimes moments here and there where he showed some backbone and personality. Kisame had only been with the Akatsuki for a couple of months, but he had to admit he was actually starting to like his partner and the brat._

 _"Fine, just one, though. After that, I'm all cleared out."_

 _Naruto had screeched that Kisame was a total liar—which was true, he had hundreds of stories—then quieted down to listen. Kisame told him a story about Zabuza, and everyone was so engrossed in the story that it took a second for Kisame and Naruto to register the fact that Itachi wasn't with them anymore._

 _"Itachi?" Naruto asked, turning to glance behind them. What Kisame saw almost made him fall over in shock. Itachi was picking leaves out of his hair, his face resigned as if he'd accepted the fact that he'd never live down what had just happened. Which had been, amazingly, Itachi walking into a tree. Kisame had thought Itachi was paying attention for politeness' sake, but apparently he'd been so captivated by the story that he'd literally ran into a tree._

 _Itachi Uchiha, one of the strongest shinobi in all of history, who had massacred his entire clan in one night and stolen away with the Leaf's jinchuuriki, had ran into a tree. Naruto and Kisame were so stunned they didn't even have time to laugh, and Itachi walked past them as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. There was a beat, then two, and Naruto and Kisame exchanged a glance._

 _Then Naruto burst out laughing so loud half of the birds in the forest took off. He tumbled onto the ground, kicking and banging his fists against it as he howled with laughter, and that coupled with Itachi's complete refusal to acknowledge what was happening made Kisame burst into laughter too. They laughed and laughed at Itachi, who calmly continued picking leaves out of his hair, not speaking or making eye contact with anyone._

 _"G-guess you f-found the one t-thing you can't d-defeat, Itachi," Naruto choked out between helpless peals of laughter. "TREES!"_

 _Kisame had regained some semblance of control, but at that he couldn't hold back anymore and the laughter continued until there were salty tears streaming from his eyes and his stomach ached. He hadn't laughed like this in… well, ever._

 _"Funny," Itachi said, the exasperated look he wore one of the most expressive things Kisame had ever seen on the Uchiha's face. Things felt good, suddenly, not just like the adrenaline rush Kisame got when he fought, but like something purer. Was this… happiness?_

 _"Let's just finish the mission," Itachi said with a disappointed shake of his head, but Kisame couldn't help but feel like he'd never be able to think of Itachi the same again. That day, they went into the Hidden Mist and pulled the mission off without a hitch. On their way back, Naruto ran ahead and began walking backwards, studying Kisame's face._

 _"What?" Kisame asked, amused at how hard Naruto had to try to stay on two feet while walking backwards through the forest. He was truly bad at multitasking. Naruto tilted his head to one side, then the bothered expression on his face changed into one of relief._

 _"Ah, nothing. You just seemed tense before this mission, is all. I'm glad you're okay now!"_

 _Then Naruto spun around, stretched his arms out as if he were a bird, and ran way ahead, yelling over his shoulder that he would 'scout things out.' Kisame blinked, watching the small blonde's back far ahead of him. Naruto had noticed? This entire time? Kisame snuck a glance at Itachi, and was surprised to see the raven-haired man's lips tilted up at the corners ever so slightly._

 _This is where I belong, Kisame thought. The thought came out of nowhere, startling him, but it felt right. Yes, this was where he belonged, and protecting these two people would now become his reason for existing. Kisame Hoshigaki had an identity, as the friend of Itachi Uchiha and the brother of Naruto Uzumaki, and he would hold onto that identity until the day he died._

"Heh, if this is the way things are, so be it," Kisame chuckled. Zetsu shoved forward to invade his conscious more, but Kisame managed to get his hands up to do one final jutsu. It was too late to stop Zetsu from invading him, but he didn't need to stop the invasion. He brought his hands together, doing signs that were as familiar as his own scent, and water rose up from the lake. Zetsu didn't let go; the man must've been confident that as soon as he had full control, he'd be able to stop Kisame

"Water Style…" he clapped his hands together and the water rose around him like it wanted to consume him. "Water Prison Jutsu."

The water coalesced around him to make a perfect prison, sealing both him and Zetsu inside of it. He could feel Zetsu's attempts to take him over grow more desperate as his air was cut off, but he paid them no mind. He brought his hand up to his mouth and sank sharp teeth into it, breaking the skin and letting blood turn the water around him scarlet. His teeth, skin, and general appearance had always made people think of him as a monster, but right now he was happy to be one. If being a monster allowed him to save his comrades, so be it.

He summoned two of the deadliest sharks he could, ones that wouldn't obey a soul in the world. They circled him, and Kisame could feel Zetsu's panic at the great predators' eager smiles. If there'd been more time, Kisame would've tried to summon other sharks to deliver a message to Pain that Zetsu was betraying them, but there was no more time. All he could do was put his belief in his friends.

"Naruto…" he spoke into the water, bubbles drifting up to the surface of the prison. "Sorry. This time, I really am all out of stories."

As soon as the bubbles from his distorted voice popped, the sharks attacked. Oddly, although he was being torn apart, Kisame didn't feel any pain. Instead, trapped in the watery prison that was to be his grave, Kisame felt more free than he'd ever felt in his life.

* * *

Zetsu just barely managed to escape the prison, using the last vestiges of his strength just as Kisame's heart stopped beating. That stupid, useless fish man! Naruto needed to be darker, get even stronger, to suit Zetsu's purposes. He needed to be betrayed, beaten down, destroyed until he was nothing more than a hollowed out husk that could be filled to the brim with an inky blackness. Naruto's hatred would become greater than Madara Uchiha's, greater even than Indra Otsutsuki's. To corrupt someone who had inherited the Will of Fire…

It gave Zetsu chills.

He glanced back at Kisame's body, narrowing his eyes as he took in the wounds. They were obviously the work of sharks, but with a little manipulation they could look like something else. His thoughts drifted back to Indra, a man whose purity had been delicious to destroy. Sasuke Uchiha… He reminded Zetsu of Indra. If he turned Sasuke against Naruto, perhaps it would turn out the same way Indra and Ashura's story had. But that was boring, because Indra and Ashura hadn't hated enough for Zetsu's purposes.

He'd always regretted that, going after Indra. If he'd been able to get at Ashura, it would've felt much more satisfying. Yes, Sasuke Uchiha could play a part in this just as Indra had, but this time the roles would be reversed.

This time, Naruto Uzumaki would be the one to take the hatred of the universe upon his shoulders.


	23. Chapter 22: Manipulation

"Absolutely not," Tsunade stated. Shizune had woken up, and there were now three people staring at Sasuke in shock. Naruto was searching Sasuke's face as if expecting it to all be a joke, Shizune was wincing and watching Tsunade, and Tsunade kept her expression carefully blank.

"You're the only one who can do it," Sasuke muttered with a shrug. "I'm not going to spend time trying to convince you, anyway. That's Jiraiya's job. I've filled you in and now I'll let him know where you are so he can take over."

"So the Third is dead, huh?" Naruto asked thoughtfully. "Serves him right."

Sasuke was up in a flash to defend the old man, but Tsunade was quicker. She let loose a punch that sent Naruto through a wall, not caring whether or not she'd have to pick up the bill later. Tsunade hated the title of Hokage now, after two of her most important people had sacrificed their lives trying to obtain it, but she wouldn't allow anyone to disrespect her old sensei after he'd sacrificed himself for the village. Speaking of the dead in such a matter was unacceptable.

Naruto lay in a heap in another room, where a stunned couple took in the scene then quickly leapt for the door and ran away shouting. To be honest, Tsunade was surprised the brat hadn't dodged, what with his chakra back at nearly full power. She'd sensed a power with staggering immensity when she'd had to hold his chakra network, and she'd known in that moment that this kid would far surpass almost any ninja in history.

Right now, however, he didn't look like he'd be surpassing anyone. He lay in the debris of the wall, looking up at the ceiling with an expression that Tsunade could only describe as… haunted. He pulled himself up from the floor slowly, as if he were injured, but it wasn't a physical injury or Tsunade would've been able to tell.

"He became Hokage," Naruto said, his eyes wandering vacantly to the door the couple exited as he shrugged. "That's what a Hokage does. He dies to save the village, no matter who he leaves behind. I can completely understand why you don't want the job—you'd have to die too."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, knowing Naruto was talking about more than just Sarutobi. But so what? This kid thought he had the right to go around pouting just because he was an orphaned jinchuuriki? Tons of ninjas were orphaned, and tons of people had to experience pain they shouldn't have to. She marched over to Naruto and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, her nose wrinkling in disgust as she lifted him so his feet just barely touched the floor.

"Do you think you have a right to claim your pain is worse than anyone else's?" Tsunade snapped. No one moved to stop her as Naruto's eyes focused on hers.

"No. I just thought you'd understand, being the kid of a Hokage too. And the way you scoffed at dreams of becoming one... don't tell me you're going to get all self-righteous just because it's _me_ who said it and not you?"

That was so much of a blow that Tsunade dropped Naruto, and he took a few steps back, brushing dust from his clothing and hair. It was true, that was what she'd been thinking, but hearing it out loud from someone else… It felt like killing the dreams Dan and Nawaki had fought so hard to protect. Tsunade had been certain she'd gotten rid of the part of her that was sentimental enough to think their dreams could come true, but maybe she hadn't after all.

"Too?" Sasuke asked suddenly, his brow creased in confusion as he looked at Naruto. Tsunade looked back and forth between the two boys, noting that all of Naruto's confidence had drained away and he was beginning to look nervous. Sasuke had called Naruto Kaze before, as well. Did he not know?

Of course! Naruto wouldn't want Sasuke knowing he was the same kid who'd disappeared the night Itachi had slaughtered the Uchiha clan. Tsunade didn't know much about Sasuke's situation, but she knew he certainly wouldn't be happy to hear Naruto was associated with his older brother. She could destroy this bond as it was budding, right here, right now.

She glanced at Naruto, but his eyes were focused on Sasuke, and she could read naked fear in them. She thought of how happy they'd been to see each other, how Sasuke had pretended he wasn't pleased but his eyes had softened all the same, and tension lines around his mouth had eased. Both boys had clearly seen their fair share of suffering, but it seemed they'd found some form of solace in each other.

"He's the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze," Tsunade said tiredly, stepping away back into her room to sink onto the bed. She needed more time to think things through. "Minato sacrificed himself for the village, leaving his only son behind. This boy is someone Konoha should've taken in, but apparently they decided not to. If they had, I imagine he wouldn't be here right now."

Naruto shot her a startled but grateful look. Tsunade didn't know why; she'd only told the truth. Konoha had really messed up this time, and Tsunade wasn't sure if there was any way to fix it.

"You're the Fourth's _son_?" Sasuke nearly whispered, his eyes wide as saucers. "You're _from Konoha?"_

"Yeah," Naruto mumbled, toeing a crack in the floor and avoiding Sasuke's eyes. "I guess we should talk."

"Yeah, we should talk!" Sasuke snapped. Now it was his turn to march over to Naruto. He grabbed the blonde by the wrist and started dragging him away, his face stormy. "We'll get Jiraiya to come talk some sense into her, and then you and I are going to have a real, honest _conversation._ "

Sasuke dragged a flailing Naruto away, and Shizune finally came to sit beside Tsunade on the bed. Tsunade looked at her friend with a helpless shake of her head; she didn't even know how to begin untangling her thoughts.

"Lady Tsunade," Shizune said softly. "You're going to need to make a decision. I think you know what my personal beliefs on the matter are, but in the end I'll support you no matter what you choose to do."

Tonton, who had been hiding under the bed since the knock on the door, suddenly scuttled out and oinked at Shizune, who scooped her up and set the little pink pig on her lap. Tonton oinked worriedly at Tsunade, and Tsunade had to chuckle a little, reaching out to pat the pig on the head.

"Thank you. I think I know what I have to do."

* * *

Sasuke practically dragged Kaze through the entire city, half of his mind spinning with the knowledge that Kaze was the son of one of Konoha's greatest heroes, and the other half trying not to think about how close this skin-to-skin contact was to holding hands. Minato Namikaze… Kaze Naminato… so was it just some sort of anagram, then?

"Kaze's not your real name, is it," Sasuke said, more of a flat statement than a question. It hurt, to know there was so much Kaze hadn't told him. Perhaps some things needed to stay secret, but something like being the Fourth's son and Kaze's connection to Konoha? Sasuke didn't understand anything anymore, and he felt like somehow he'd been made a fool of even though he hadn't pursued Kaze's past.

"No," Kaze answered, his voice quiet and introspective. When Sasuke looked back, he was shocked to see that Kaze looked hurt as well, as if Sasuke finding this out was causing him physical pain. "There's so much I haven't told you, but I don't want you to hate me. I'm sorry."

Sasuke stopped, releasing his grip on Kaze's wrist and turning to look the other boy in the eye. He didn't know whether to yell or comfort his friend, so he settled for crossing his arms and waiting. His heart felt heavy in a way it hadn't for a long time, and his hand missed the warmth of Kaze's wrist. This was so stupid. At what point had he started caring so much?

"My father was the Fourth, yes. He died in a fight against the Nine-Tails, sacrificing his life and my mother's to save the village. In order to stop the kyuubi he also had to seal it somewhere, so guess who got stuck with the short end of that stick?"

Kaze laughed but it didn't sound like he found anything particularly funny.

"Apparently I was supposed to be treated as a hero or some fucking thing, but the adults who remembered the attack didn't see me as a hero. It makes sense, right? I mean, in their eyes it was _my_ fault so many people had died, never mind what I'd lost. Konoha takes and takes, only offering hatred when you beg it to give you something. It happened to me, and it happened to others too."

Sasuke drew in a shaky breath, not quite sure why the words cut so deep. For a second, he'd seen something in Kaze's eyes that he hadn't seen since the night his family was slaughtered. He didn't want to think about it, but his doubts had been growing and now, at these words, all he could picture was Itachi crying when he'd left. Itachi… crying? That hadn't happened… But, yes, it had. The broken look in Kaze's eyes was the same last look Sasuke had seen in Itachi's before his older brother had left.

"So you… left...?" Sasuke whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. Kaze's face contorted and he looked away. His hands fisted at his sides, trembling as he bit down on his lip.

"Yes. I left with your brother, Itachi Uchiha."

Sasuke couldn't breathe. The edges of his vision blurred, and it felt like the world was trying to crush him into nonexistence. So many of the things Kaze had said made sense now, from the anger he'd shown every time Sasuke had mentioned wanting to kill Itachi, to the familiar, easy way he spoke to Sasuke. And the Sharingan eyes shedding tears… Sasuke had denied Kaze's connection with Itachi, trying to convince himself the image was Sasuke's own projection. But it hadn't been, and he knew Kaze's real name without the blonde speaking it. He spoke anyway.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

"Stop," Sasuke whispered.

"I'm the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails, and I work with Itachi Uchiha."

"Stop talking."

"I hate Konoha. I'm going to destroy it. I'm on the opposite side of you."

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, grabbing the kid's shirt in both hands. He spun the tiny jinchuuriki around to slam him against the wall of one of the shops. Blue eyes shimmered dangerously, before lids slid over them to hide any expression.

"I work with Itachi even though I know he slaughtered your clan. I befriended you even though I'm also friends with the person who caused you so much pain. I betrayed your trust, double crossed you, all the while making you care for me. Do you hate me now?"

The constricted feeling in Sasuke's chest seized his breath away and though he struggled to draw breath, nothing would enter his lungs. His hands slackened and Naruto's lids cracked to reveal blue as bottomless as the ocean. Sasuke didn't understand why the boy he'd thought was his friend was doing all of this, because as much as Naruto tried to hide it, the bottomless depths of his eyes were filled with pain.

Black spots swum before Sasuke's eyes, and then they spread over his entire vision and he swayed, urging himself to breathe. But he couldn't, and the last thing he saw before he passed out was Naruto lunging for him.

* * *

Naruto carried Sasuke on his back, using chakra so he wasn't struggling with the weight of someone bigger than him. It had startled him when Sasuke had passed out, but he'd managed to catch the young Uchiha just in time. Now he walked into an inn, head down, and slid what little money he usually carried to the innkeeper, mentioning something about Sasuke passing out from training too much. The innkeeper must've been used to such things—that or he didn't think Naruto was any real threat to Sasuke—and he accepted the money with a shrug, directing Naruto to a room on the second floor.

Naruto trudged up the stairs, finding the room with ease and kicking the door open. The bed was small, not big enough for two, but it only needed to fit one person. Naruto gently manoeuvered Sasuke off his back onto the bed, then quietly shut the door and went to take a seat in an uncomfortable armchair by the window. He kept his eyes focused outside, not wanting to look at Sasuke.

He'd spent so long wanting to be friends with Itachi's younger brother that he'd forgotten he'd also end up being friends with a shinobi loyal to the Leaf Village. He'd managed to ignore it during the entirety of the Chuunin Exams and when they'd trained together, but when Sasuke had come to ask Tsunade to become the Fifth Hokage, he'd been painfully reminded that Sasuke still cared for the village that had cast his older brother out.

If Naruto wanted to truly be friends with Sasuke, didn't that mean he'd have to accept the injustices that had been done to Itachi? Sasuke was so loyal he was being sent on a mission to get the next Hokage, a leader who would order more massacres and cause more pain. How was Naruto supposed to reconcile his image of Sasuke as his friend with Sasuke as a loyal Leaf shinobi? In the end, it would hurt him, and more importantly, it would hurt Sasuke. No, it was better that they start hating each other now before they started really caring about each other.

"I'm an idiot," Naruto groaned to no one in particular. Kurama's rumbles agreed with him, and Naruto told him to kindly shut up. It wouldn't do any good to stand around and be here when Sasuke woke up if they had to hate each other. He walked over to Sasuke, looking down at the boy he'd thought he could become best friends with. If things were different…

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Naruto whispered, dropping to his knees at the side of Sasuke's bed. His head bowed under the weight of everything he had to carry until his forehead hit the top of the bed.

"I know we didn't know each other very long, but I really, really liked you. I thought we could be friends…" He thought about Sasuke making him say that ridiculous stuff when they were 'meditating,' the way they'd both flushed, the way he'd catch himself thinking that Sasuke had really nice eyes. He'd been confused, but now he thought he was starting to understand a little better. "…or maybe more. I dunno, that's stupid, isn't it? Thinking we could help alleviate each other's loneliness? Probably you didn't feel the same, but anyway… I'm glad I met you. I hope you can be happy."

He made to rise, but a sudden pressure on his head stopped him. His breath hitched in his throat and a hundred curse words for himself ran through his mind; argh, why, why, why hadn't he been looking up to make sure Sasuke hadn't woken up?!

"I still haven't forgotten you telling me that words are the least truthful thing. You may be an idiot, but did you really think I'd believe every single word you said?"

"B-but you got so upset y-you passed out!" Naruto stuttered, trying to rise. Sasuke slammed his head back into the bed, grinding his face into the scratchy wool sheets.

"Yeah, well, you just sprung a bunch of stuff on me that I wasn't prepared for. Plus, I haven't eaten in a while, so it was probably just low blood pressure or something. I wouldn't pass out from emotional shock, moron." Naruto thought it might be wise to keep his mouth shut at that point. "Your connection with Itachi, your hatred of the village, the way things are between us… are you really just going to leave like this? Don't you think it would be easier to figure things out together rather than alone?"

Figure things out together? Naruto didn't understand what Sasuke meant, but he suddenly felt warm all over and he willingly pressed his face deeper into the blankets, unable to look at his friend. No one had ever suggested that he talk through his problems with them, and no one who had the right to hate him had stopped him from leaving. For some reason, it was really embarrassing.

"We're destined to be enemies though," Naruto pointed out, waiting for Sasuke's hand to leave his head. It didn't—it was if Sasuke didn't want Naruto to look up and see his expression.

"Did destiny decide that or did you decide that because of our circumstances?" Sasuke asked, sounding exasperated.

"If I'm with Itachi, don't you…"

"No, I don't hate you. Even if you're associated with him, even if you like him, he's manipulated people before. Hell, I liked him when he acted like my big brother, and I'm not half the brainless moron you are."

"He's not fucking manipulating me!"

"That's what everyone who's getting manipulated says," Sasuke sighed. There was a long pause; they were kind of at an impasse, and Sasuke still wouldn't let Naruto look up. Naruto was really curious to see what kind of expression Sasuke was wearing now, especially if he'd heard Naruto say they could be 'maybe more' than friends. What if Sasuke found him disgusting?

Sasuke fingers suddenly shifted as if to get a purchase in Naruto's hair, and they inadvertently felt like they were caressing Naruto's skull. It was such an odd feeling, Sasuke's fingers in his hair, that Naruto's entire body shivered. Sasuke jerked his hand back as if he'd just stuck it in hot flames, and when Naruto finally looked up Sasuke was watching him with nervous, alert eyes.

"I, um," Sasuke muttered hesitantly, dark eyes flicking away to avoid Naruto's. "I'm learning a jutsu the Fourth made. I wanted to show it to you. I kind of still do, once it's complete."

The atmosphere felt really messed up in that moment, like they were discussing something they'd never talked about before even though this was finally familiar territory. Naruto had to look out the window instead of at his flushed companion, and if anyone had walked in they might've been really confused at the sight of both boys studiously looking at anything but each other.

"Is it super strong?" Naruto asked lamely, his brain not functioning very well.

"Yeah, it will be," Sasuke said, and Naruto could hear him struggling to maintain his cool. "It's called the Rasengan. It's probably even better than anything you could teach me."

"I doubt that," Naruto snorted, and the atmosphere slowly settled back into something both boys could handle. There was a pause, then Sasuke spoke softly, almost gently.

"I thought I had to figure things out on my own too. I think I'm learning, though… maybe a fresh perspective is okay once in a while. Naruto Uzumaki… what do you know about my brother?"

"I know the world can destroy someone with ease in thirteen years," Naruto said unflinchingly, and he held Sasuke's gaze evenly. He revered Itachi as someone who had saved him and someone who had a genuinely good heart, but you couldn't love someone without truly knowing them. What Naruto knew about Itachi was that, as a kid a little older than Naruto, he'd been manipulated, betrayed, and backed into a corner until he was forced to kill his clan. What Naruto knew about Itachi was that, as someone who could think clearly again, Itachi regretted his decision and now thought there was probably a better way. What Naruto knew about Itachi was that he blamed himself for everything, and he was as human as the rest of the Akatsuki.

Itachi was flawed and he'd messed up, but none of that would've happened without Konoha's influence.

Naruto wanted to say all of this to Sasuke, who wasn't half as innocent as he should be because of Itachi's influence, but he couldn't say anything. If he told Sasuke, he knew he could convince his rival to join him in destroying Konoha, but Itachi didn't want that. So he let his words hang in the air, saying nothing else.

"What knowledge do you have that I don't? Naruto, I need to know. Destroying Itachi has been my reason for existing for the past four years—this whole time, I've been planning to be an avenger. If I'm missing information… if there are sides to this story I haven't heard yet, you have to tell me."

It would be a betrayal to Itachi. Every last bone in Naruto's body screamed against it, yet his heart screamed for it. What if Itachi was wrong, and Sasuke could bear the burden of what had happened? Maybe—

"Naruto."

The voice slithered out of the walls, dripping into Naruto's ears and then into his soul. He could feel the presence behind him, and the voice was in his ear, a snake whispering about how eating the forbidden fruit would bring him life. All peacefulness and thoughts of friendship with Sasuke were gone, replaced by a darkness as the voice that he was almost conditioned to feel hate upon hearing spoke to him. Zetsu had one hand on his shoulder, and a mouth at his ear, and he was whispering something other than what Konoha had done in the past.

What. Konoha. Had… Done? …Now? Konoha had?

" _ **You**_ ," Sasuke growled, but his voice didn't sound like his own, and he blinked in shock, as if he hadn't meant to say anything. He brought his hand up to his throat in confusion, but Naruto scarcely noticed.

He wanted to scream, to deny what Zetsu was saying, to beg the thing to stop with the low, soft-spoken hiss. Dark flames more passionate than love stirred at the bottom of Naruto's heart, and he could feel Kurama rising, shaking his massive head as he, too, listened to Zetsu. The Leaf? Again? Sasuke, Sakura, Sai, Jiraiya. Sasuke had been with him, so it was one of the other people, but it didn't matter, did it? Naruto had been here, consorting with the enemy. That's right, he had been thinking it before but his judgement had been clouded.

Sasuke Uchiha was a Leaf shinobi. How were they supposed to figure things out together? What utter bullshit. His pupils narrowing to slits, his teeth pulling back, his claws sliding out, Naruto turned and followed Zetsu out of the room.


	24. For When You Gaze Long into the Abyss

Naruto's cloak billowed behind him as he descended, his footfalls heavy with finality on the stairs. Radiating from him were waves that made the innkeeper fling himself at the wall, whimpering, then clawing at the door to stumble out into the sunshine. Wrapping a sliver of Kurama's chakra around his hand, Naruto demolished the door and walked out after the innkeeper, ignoring Sasuke's rapid footsteps behind him.

"It's this way," Zetsu said, leading Naruto through the shadows and through dark alleys as a shortcut. People dropped wares and cowered as he walked by, holding their hands up protectively. Mothers pulled their children to their bosoms with gasps as their children started screaming and sobbing instinctively, then they fled to where they thought they'd be able to find safety. Stray cats hissed nervously and slunk away, their tails large and lashing, and drunk men ambled in the opposite direction without really knowing why.

"What's going on?" Sasuke yelled at Naruto's back, but when he reached out his hand was burned by the density of the Nine-Tails' chakra. He cursed and Naruto sensed him fall back to follow from more of a distance. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore, except what Zetsu had whispered into his ear.

 _Don't follow him! Don't let him do this!_ an unfamiliar voice pleaded with him, but that didn't matter either. Zetsu knew Naruto better than anyone—after all, he was the one who served Naruto hard truths on silver platters so Naruto could consume them and fan the flames of his hatred. Without Zetsu, Naruto would've never known about Itachi's secrets, Yahiko, and Rin Nohara. Without Zetsu, Naruto wouldn't know the recipe for true peace, which was tied to an Uchiha Naruto couldn't wait to meet.

When they reached the outskirts of the village, Naruto could sense two more people following him, and he didn't need to look to know that it was Sakura and Sai. So. They hadn't done it. Still, they were Leaf shinobi, so they must've known what was going to happen.

"Sasuke knew Itachi was here," Zetsu whispered in Naruto's ear, freezing his soul. "He found you so he could distract you while his sensei fought them. Don't you remember him saying how much he hated his brother?"

 _But he'd wanted to know more. He might've accepted the truth,_ the voice inside Naruto's head said. _That wasn't a boy who wanted to distract you, Naruto. See past your hatred!_

"He's a Leaf shinobi, Naruto. I thought I'd told you better—even if he's Itachi's younger brother, he's still a Leaf at heart. He'll take and take until you have nothing left."

Naruto's frozen soul was shattered, and he kept walking. Past trees, where animals fell silent and a fox carrying a mouse in its mouth dropped the mouse to bolt. Through a small field, where a tree reached for the sky with hope that it could someday make it there. Naruto cut it down without moving, using the chakra that Kurama silently supplied. Leaves scattered and fell to the ground around it. Naruto stepped on them and kept walking.

When he finally reached the place Zetsu was leading him to, his vision narrowed until all he saw was the tall white-haired man crouching over a prone figure wearing the Akatsuki cloak. The man stood, spinning to face Naruto, and there was an appropriate amount of shock on his face. Zetsu's whispers caressed the inside of Naruto's mind, although Naruto didn't even know what they were saying anymore. Something about not giving control to Kurama so he could take this fucker's life with his own hands. Sounded good. Sounded really fucking great.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I'm surprised to see—"

Naruto shut the Sannin up with a slice of Kurama's chakra that nearly cut him in half. The Sannin flipped backwards, landing in a crouch on the lake, then blinked in astonishment. Before he could open his filthy mouth again, Naruto lunged, putting all of his speed into the attack as he whipped out two kunai.

Jiraiya met him blade for blade, and they traded more blows in those two seconds than most people could've traded in a lifetime. Naruto was the first to flip back, and when he was upside down he whipped three shurikens directly at Jiraiya's head. Jiraiya blocked them with ease, flipping back and making hand signs faster than Naruto's eyes could move.

"Flame Bullet," Jiraiya spat out and Naruto was forced to used more of Kurama's chakra to stop himself from being roasted midair. He took the attack head on, using the chakra to harmlessly get through the fire, while another piece of it turned into a hand and seized the dock. With chakra, he could move around easily in the air, and as he shot towards Jiraiya as fast as a bullet he did his own hand signs to use Blade of Wind. The air in front of Jiraiya shimmered and the old man dodged, but in close proximity it wasn't enough and a cut appeared on his cheek.

With a curse, Jiraiya leapt out of range and used his hair as a weapon, making it elongate and shoot towards Naruto with the intent to kill. Naruto clapped his hands together for another wind jutsu, using Gale of the Palm to blow the spikes of hair away before they could reach him. He landed rolling on the water and sprung up to his feet in time to see Jiraiya blowing oil into the lake. Digging his nails into one palm to break the skin, Naruto used a summoning technique to summon a khakkhara he'd once made with Sasori. It had been something that he sometimes saw in his dreams, and after testing it out he'd found he really enjoyed the feel of it.

Now he used the extendable end of it to stab it into the lake and create a place to stand as Jiraiya fired off another Flame Bullet and set the entire lake aflame. Standing above a sea of fire, the heat scorching his skin and drying his sweat, Naruto wondered if he'd inadvertently found his way into hell.

"I don't know what you're upset about, but if you insist on trying to fight me I'll put you down like the rabid animal you are," Jiraiya yelled, doing the hand signs for a summoning jutsu. Naruto lunged, grabbing his khakkhara out from under him as he shot towards Jiraiya's place on the shore, and only switched directions at the last second to land on the dock that the flames were rapidly consuming. He knelt down, closing his eyes for a brief second and wincing, before looking at the body of his older brother.

Kisame was injured almost beyond recognition, chunks of him missing and tears all throughout his body. His face was half gone from what looked like some sort of sword wound, and Naruto had to swallow back bile at the injustice of it. If Jiraiya had fought Itachi for Sasuke, he could've understood. If Jiraiya had attacked Naruto because he was a threat to the Leaf, he could've understood. But attacking Kisame unprovoked, stabbing him from behind while Zetsu tried to save him? How could anybody do that? Why would anybody do that?

"I'm sorry," Naruto ground out hoarsely, reaching out to brush a fingertip over Kisame's whole eye while he ignored the mess of the other one. His hands felt numb as he fumbled with Kisame's hand, and he choked on a sob as he managed to get Kisame's ring off. He lifted it up and pressed it to his lips, praying that his friend was at peace. Kisame's face looked so… happy. He must've been thinking about something beautiful when Jiraiya stabbed him.

"I should've never become friends with Sasuke. I should've never given my chakra up for him," Naruto whispered to Kisame, taking a hand missing half the fingers in his own. There was a sick squelching sound, but Naruto ignored it as he pressed his forehead against Kisame's hand.

"I will do whatever it takes to make this right," he rasped, emotion and smoke strangling his vocal cords. "I promise you, I'll avenge you. You know I will. Because I never go back on my word."

Naruto's fingers were clumsy as he undid Kisame's Akatsuki cloak. It was torn everywhere, and stained all over with blood, but he ignored that. He removed his own dark cloak and lay it over Kisame after he got the Akatsuki one off. Then he stood, cracking his fingers, before slashing at the bottom of the cloak to take about three feet off of it. When he slid his arms through it and shrugged it over his shoulders, something inside of him stilled. He didn't know what it was, but everything felt crystal clear, and when he turned back to Jiraiya he assessed the scene through a sea of icy calm.

Jiraiya was sitting atop a monster toad, his hands clasped together and his eyes narrowed in concentration. Sakura, Sasuke, and Sai were all up beside him, eyes huge as they gestured to Naruto and spoke. Jiraiya was shaking his head as if he disagreed with them, but they all seemed to be stubbornly arguing something. When Sasuke saw Naruto looking, he turned and desperately began mouthing something.

 _I-m-so-rry-a-bout-your-com-rade-but-we-did—_

"They're arguing over whether or not to kill you or go after Itachi," Zetsu whispered into Naruto's ear all of a sudden. Naruto stopped looking at Sasuke and turned to Zetsu, studying the fully black man-thing with his newfound battle senses. Yes, Zetsu would know what they were saying because his clones could hide within things, maybe even within the toad.

Naruto knelt down and picked up Samehada, which had been laying beside Kisame. He felt the sword draw a little of his chakra, and then all of a sudden it stopped. It grew more relaxed in his hand, as if sensing his intention to avenge its master. He let Kurama's chakra grow enough that one tail began to bubble from his back, but he didn't let it go any further than that. Using his puppet chakra strings, he snatched up his khakkhara then leapt from the dock with both weapons in hand. When he landed in front of the giant toad, the ground itself shattered beneath him until he was standing in a shallow crater.

"Gamaken, keep him away!" Naruto heard Jiraiya shout. Naruto tilted his head, narrowing his crimson eyes. So Jiraiya needed time to complete whatever jutsu he was planning to do?

"I will try, though I am ungraceful," the toad rumbled, and then the biggest sasumata Naruto had ever seen came slashing down towards him. Naruto raised his khakkhara and focused all of Kurama's chakra in it, blocking the sasumata's attack with one hand while he slashed Samehada out with the other. The toad blocked Samehada with a massive shield resembling a plate, then let out a surprised grunt as Samehada began eating away at some of his chakra.

"I don't think you'll be keeping a single fucking soul away," Naruto snarled, letting go of his khakkhara and using a hand from his Nine-Tails chakra to keep it in place so the sasumata couldn't come slashing back at him. Then he reached into his mind for the jutsu Pain had shown him. It was tricky, but it was one of the few things Naruto had left besides a name from the Uzumaki clan.

His hand shook and then the chakra strings he'd created rippled, their form changing and solidifying into something much greater than strings. He heard Jiraiya's shocked shout as the Adamantine Sealing Chains wound their way around the giant toad. The Chains, coupled with Samehada, began completely draining Gamaken of chakra and soon the toad was disappearing, leaving behind only white smoke.

Naruto sensed rather than saw Sai, Sakura, and Sasuke roll into their landings, but Jiraiya landed with a massive sound like a peal of thunder, his wooden sandals digging deep into the earth. Naruto used his Chains in three directions to send the three Leaf genin flying back, then he slammed his hand into the ground and more Chains flew up everywhere within a few hundred metres radius. Concentrating, he forced his chakra to spread along the Chains and then out until a barrier was formed. Nothing was getting in or out anytime soon, and he'd made sure everyone else was on the other side of the barrier.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya yelled as the smoke cleared. His hands were still pressed together, and he was regarding Naruto grimly, as if fighting really wasn't something he wanted to do. "This really seals the deal, huh? That I'm fighting Minato and Kushina's kid?"

Naruto didn't move from where he stood, but he used a hand of Kurama's chakra to fling Samehada at Jiraiya. The old man's hair blocked it, then quickly withdrew before Samehada could absorb any of his chakra. So he'd noticed Samehada's abilities…

"I don't want to fight you, Naruto! I'm sorry about your comrade, but I don't understand why you feel the need to fight me! I didn't—"

A hand of red chakra burst from the ground in front of Jiraiya, and he cursed as he flipped back and then started running as the chakra chased him. There was nowhere to go in the circular dome, but Jiraiya still ran away. His hands were beginning to glow now, and Naruto was almost tempted to let him finish the jutsu just out of personal curiosity. Was this truly all there was to a legendary Sannin?

"You have no right to speak of any of them," Naruto said blankly, whipping his khakkhara in a circle and just barely missing Jiraiya. If he'd been any better at the Chain technique, he could've used those instead, but it drained an incredible amount of chakra just to erect the barrier. Jiraiya flipped over the khakkhara and then lashed out with one of his sandals, forcing Naruto to leap back from where he'd stood.

"I'm your godfather, Naruto. Did you know Minato was my student? Please, I don't want to end Minato and Kushina's legacy."

Naruto hadn't known. Fantastic, now he did. He split his mind to focus on two tasks at once, one of them chasing Jiraiya with Samehada while the other side forced him to go faster than his limits. He was pretty sure he was growing another tail, but there wasn't time to worry about that. Jiraiya was all defense, dodging Samehada and using his hair to block every slash of Naruto's claws or his khakkhara.

"I'm not the one who needs to be put down—Konoha is," Naruto snarled as lunged for Jiraiya's open back. It was a feint; Jiraiya spun to the side in a manoeuver that by all means should be impossible, then slammed both glowing hands on the ground. Naruto sprang back warily, drawing Samehada back and catching it in his hand as he crouched low to see what Jiraiya had summoned. It was…

Two small, old toads. They sat on Jiraiya's shoulders like dusty ornaments on a shelf, and Naruto couldn't see why they were so special. They spoke in hushed voices to Jiraiya, then squinted at Naruto. Toads, huh? Small creatures, weak and easy to crush. Naruto lunged, but Jiraiya now had full use of his hands back and he used them to gain the advantage, dodging to the side and throwing an attack with such deadly accuracy Naruto almost took damage. He would've if Kurama's chakra hadn't ripped him away from the swirling, dense ball of chakra resting in Jiraiya's palm.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the sight, but he couldn't let his guard down for a second, because as soon as he did one of the toads on Jiraiya's shoulder spat a mouthful of green liquid at him. He tried to dodge but he was locked in by the other toad's tongue, which had darted out with impossible speed and wrapped around him. From the scent, the stuff on him could be none other than oil. Naruto's head whipped up to see Jiraiya beginning another Flame Bullet, but soaked in oil, Naruto wouldn't be able to go through this one.

It was at that moment that Naruto also realized that Jiraiya had undergone some kind of transformation—he was looking more toad-like himself, his nose swollen double its usual size, his pupils turned to horizontal bars, and red smeared like war paint around his eyes. Naruto held Samehada up to absorb as much of the chakra as he could, but he was still pinned by one of the small toad's tongues, so he was helpless as his Akatsuki coat caught flame.

"Fucking shit," he muttered, then crouched lower as another tail grew. The toad's tongue loosened as the red chakra grew denser, and then the chakra snapped out towards the toad, forcing Jiraiya to jump back with his two companions. Naruto was finally freed, and he shrugged off his coat, dropping the burning thing to the ground and rolling his shoulders back to stretch the muscles. He could feel his vocal cords thickening and his canines lengthening, and he knew he was undergoing a change different yet similar to Jiraiya's.

"Well lookie here, sensei," Naruto growled, his voice sandpaper rough. "You've taught me an important life lesson today. It takes one monster to fight another."

He dropped his khakkhara and took out a kunai Itachi had stolen for him. Jiraiya's eyes widened in recognition, then he shook his head sadly.

"Let me teach you another one then," he said as Naruto threw the kunai. Jiraiya dodged it, and a second later Naruto was behind him where the kunai was, swinging a fistful of chakra towards Jiraiya's open back. He thought for sure he'd have it, but then Jiraiya spun even faster than he'd been before summoning the toads and slammed the rotating ball of chakra into Naruto's stomach, making Naruto gag on blood and spit it into Jiraiya's face.

He was thrown maybe ten feet back, hurt bad, but the wound was already healing as he bounced along the ground. He dug his claws into the soft earth and it helped slightly, slowing him enough to see Jiraiya coming towards him with another one of those stupidly powerful attacks prepared.

"Unless you know this jutsu, you can never hope to surpass the Fourth!" Jiraiya yelled, and for a second Naruto thought he was going to die. If that thing hit his face, even Kurama's chakra wouldn't be able to heal him fast enough to survive.

 **"Use this, kit,"** Kurama snapped urgently, and in a second all of Kurama's chakra was gone, condensed into a ball on Naruto's hand that was even smaller than the one on Jiraiya's. All Naruto could do to defend was bring his hand up, and the two attacks collided with each other. Naruto was thrown back again, but this time Jiraiya was as well, and the only things that stopped them from colliding with the Chain barrier was the modifications their bodies had undergone to become more animal. Jiraiya's sandals flew off as toad-like feet slowed him down, and Naruto was slowed by digging toe and finger claws into the dirt, arching his back like an angry cat.

Jiraiya blew another stream of fire towards Naruto, and Naruto countered with a Violent Whirlwind, the wind from his own mouth hitting Jiraiya's attack and sending fire shooting up towards the top of the barrier.

"I didn't kill your friend!" Jiraiya yelled, his voice anguished. Liar. Liar, liar, _liar_! Naruto lunged and Jiraiya blocked him with ease, the two trading blows even faster than before. Claws slashed out and were smacked down as Jiraiya hit his arm hard enough to break it, and Naruto flipped back, pressing one hand against his arm. He snapped it back into place without so much as a wince, and felt Kurama's chakra begin to heal it instantly.

"You hurt and hurt and hurt," Naruto rasped, clenching his fist to make sure everything was working properly. "Your village is a montage of manipulations playing out repeatedly across the world. Whether you're a puppet or a puppeteer, you all need to be ended."

"Listen to yourself," Jiraiya growled as Naruto began to circle him, forcing him to match Naruto stride for stride. "Going on about manipulation when you can't even see the web you yourself are caught in. I don't know who the spider is, but if you don't stop looking at the other struggling flies, you're going to get eaten."

"I know who the spider is!" Naruto roared, springing towards Jiraiya and pouring his chakra into Kurama's. The two mixed to become a hand made of wind and fire, sweeping out to seize Jiraiya. Jiraiya forwent defense for offense, creating a massive spinning chakra ball and slamming it through the chakra hand. The chakra hand was obliterated and the ball kept coming towards Naruto.

Naruto tried to slice through the attack with Samehada, but there was way too much chakra and he was thrown back, Samehada blown from his hands as he flew the entire length of the dome and his back struck the barrier. He spat saliva with flecks of blood as he hit it, slumping down against it and trying to draw in a breath. His ribs were broken, and they must've punctured his lungs. This would be a little trickier to heal, and it would take more time than he had.

Damn it, why?! Why was this guy so much stronger than him? Even though Naruto was young, he'd thought he stood a decent enough chance. Instead, summoning those two toads had made Jiraiya incredibly strong somehow, to the point where Naruto would have to let Kurama take control if he wanted to win this thing. He couldn't do that now, though, not with his chakra network still weakened. The healing required to fix him after letting Kurama take control was just too risky.

His head hanging low, he tried to think of another strategy. Maybe if he took the Chain barrier down and started using Chains more to bind up Jiraiya's chakra…

He was just about to dismantle it when he heard a sound he'd never before imagined as threatening. Right now, however, it sounded pretty fucking threatening, especially since it was beginning to make his head swim as if he were about to be consumed by one of Itachi's genjutsus.

The sound of two toads croaking in a duet grew even louder, and Naruto knew that he was really in trouble this time.


	25. The Abyss Gazes Back

Sasuke felt as helpless as he had the night Itachi had walked away from him. All the jutsus he'd learned, all the time he'd spent training, and it was ending up absolutely useless in the face of the barrier Naruto had erected between them. Naruto…

He still couldn't believe Kaze was the kid Itachi had taken, that Kaze was the one and only Naruto Uzumaki he'd been searching for information for this entire time. Not only that—Naruto was the son of one of Konoha's greatest heroes, yet he loathed Konoha and most of the ninjas in it. Plus, there was something going on with that fox inside of him, the Nine-Tails, and that word jinchuuriki that kept getting thrown around. Sasuke needed not only power, but _knowledge_. He wanted to believe that Naruto was good, that Itachi was manipulating him, but he needed to know more about what exactly Naruto was.

First, though, he needed to find a way through the barrier. Sakura tried punching it with all of her might to no avail, and Sai tried all different types of ink monsters and the katana he always carried. Sasuke tried five different jutsus including his Fire Ball jutsu, but the barrier didn't so much as ripple.

"What's going on?" a voice snapped from behind him, and Sasuke turned to find himself face-to-face with boobs. He stumbled a few steps back, flicking his eyes up to glare at Tsunade, who was staring in shock and awe at the Chain barrier.

"Naruto and Jiraiya are fighting. Naruto thinks Jiraiya killed his friend, and he won't listen to reason. Jiraiya is convinced Naruto needs to be killed because he's dangerous to the village."

Sakura went on to explain a little more about the situation while Sasuke studied the barrier. His thoughts flashed briefly back to the black shadow behind Naruto, and the odd feeling that someone was using his mouth. For a second, knowledge he didn't even know he'd had filled his mind and he'd gotten a glimpse of power beyond anything he could've imagined, but it had disappeared just as quickly as it had come. If he could use it again…

There was a cry of shock from the other side of the barrier, and as Sasuke watched, Naruto was caught in a genjutsu. Jiraiya was walking grimly towards him with an odd-looking sword, and Sasuke knew this was going to be the end if he didn't do something. He pressed one hand against the barrier, closing his eyes and doing everything he could to try and bring back that knowledge. He was concentrating so hard that he didn't even notice when Sakura stopped talking and let out a strangled gasp.

"Foolish little brother, closing your eyes against reality won't make it any better."

Every muscle in Sasuke's body went taut, and something deep inside of him shivered in revulsion at the deep, melodic voice that laced every nightmare he had. His first instinct was to run, and his second instinct to fight with everything he had wasn't any better. He knew just as he'd known the first time he'd seen Kaze—Naruto—that the person speaking was so far above him his fingertips couldn't touch that person's feet. Still, rage swelled like a melody in his veins, and loathing became a physical taste. His Sharingan activated, Sasuke opened his eyes and used one foot to turn himself towards the figure standing just in his peripheral.

Itachi Uchiha, the man who had slaughtered his clan. His adoring older brother. His reason for training and isolating himself. The reason he knew what love was and had an idea of how to show it. A man made of perhaps more contradictions than Naruto's lightness and darkness, and who was regarding him with eyes the same shade as their parents' blood on that night.

"You—" Sasuke breathed, his voice dripping with hatred as everything faded from his vision except for his older brother. That's right, he was an avenger. Bonds were just—

"Our battle will be fought, little brother, but not today," Itachi said indifferently, his gaze sliding over Sasuke's Sharingan with seeming disinterest. "I believe, as of now, we have a common goal. Will you give in to that hatred of yours and get yourself and your friend killed, or will you help me save the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

Sasuke drew in a sharp breath, the decision feeling like it was physically tearing him in two. He couldn't beat Itachi, but he still wanted to try. Yet if he gave into that desire, Naruto would die, Sasuke wouldn't get any answers, and… and something else. He didn't know what that something was, but there was a voice whispering in his ear now, telling him that he had to save Naruto no matter what the cost. To dismantle a barrier…

"Next time we meet, I'll kill you," Sasuke swore, his throat dry with horror at the chance he was letting slip. But Naruto knew something about Itachi that Sasuke needed to know. He turned his back on his brother and reached out to set one hand against the Chains. Forgotten knowledge rose unbidden to his mind, and when he opened his eyes he felt like he was looking through them from far away. As if someone else had taken control of his body.

His hands moved on their own to make signs he'd never even seen, and when one of them slammed into the barrier, the entire thing began to dissolve as if it had never been there in the first place. Jiraiya was so focused on killing Naruto that he didn't even notice, the sword poised above Naruto's chest, hovering there and shaking as if Jiraiya was hesitating one final time before he plunged it in.

The sword moved, Itachi moved, and Sasuke's mouth opened all the same time. He'd meant to scream out Naruto's name, but what came out was—

" **ASHURA!** "

Naruto's head turned as if in slow motion, and in that second his eyes weren't his, just as Sasuke was sure the eyes meeting Naruto's were someone else's. Naruto's mouth formed a word that wasn't Naruto's and Sasuke was suddenly seeing flashes of a life far, far in the past. He struggled against the tide of incoming memories that threatened to wash him away, and that strange voice he'd spoken in surfaced in his mind to whisper to him.

 _Calm down, Sasuke Uchiha. Let me remind my brother of who he is, or you'll be forced to watch Naruto Uzumaki die._

Itachi wasn't going to make it in time to stop the sword and Jiraiya was done with hesitation, but the one who moved was neither of them. Naruto closed his eyes, drew in the tiniest breath, and then there was light. It was a blinding flash for just a second, but when it cleared Naruto was crouched behind Jiraiya, freed from the toads' genjutsu. When he rose to his feet and looked over his shoulder at Jiraiya, his appearance had changed yet again.

Now his eyes were golden instead of red, and his pupils seemed to have turned sideways. The red looked like it had leaked out of his irises to surround his eyes, and all traces of monster were gone from him. His expression was older, wiser, and more mature than his years as he regarded Jiraiya with an almost humorous expression.

"How?" Jiraiya whispered, his sword dropping beside him as he stared at Naruto in horrified awe. "Unlocking Sage Mode at your age… it's…"

"A one-time thing. If Indra's vessel hadn't been nearby…"

Those kind, amused eyes turned to Sasuke and the smile that flashed across Naruto's face was someone else's, although it was just as bright as Naruto's could be.

"The kid's sleeping. But Indra, he's trying to manipulate our vessels again. You have to—"

Naruto's face abruptly went slack, and he started to fall. This time Itachi was quick enough, and he snatched the small jinchuuriki in both arms, cradling Sasuke's friend to him gently. It was a gesture Sasuke couldn't imagine the murderer of an entire clan doing, and he was beyond disturbed by it.

 _We've pushed our luck here, so we'll probably need to rest for a few years. Before I go, though, listen to me, Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto is being manipulated by someone who has been causing hatred since the beginning of time. You must not trust the manipulator, no matter which form he takes. He is a master who will have more agents than you can possibly imagine, so you must keep your friends very, very close. If you stay alive until I wake up again, then—_

The voice cut off as abruptly as Naruto's, and Sasuke was left with a feeling of almost emptiness. His vision began to grow spotty again, and as it wavered his eyes searched desperately for Naruto. He was in Itachi's arms, completely limp as if dead, his face twisted in a grimace of pain. Sasuke took a step towards them, stretching out one hand. He had to stop Itachi from leaving, had to take Naruto back so no one could manipulate them. Another step. Itachi turned to regard Sasuke with his Mangekyou Sharingan. Another step, and he was so close to saving Naruto.

He was so close to saving his parents. He tried one more and fell to his knees. He could feel Sai and Sakura holding his shoulders, and from his peripheral he could see Tsunade running towards him.

"Na…ru…to…" he whispered. He'd seen into the blonde's soul—he knew they both shared a suffering no one else could understand. They hadn't spent very long together, but those few precious days they had been together had managed to mean more than relationships he'd had for years. He couldn't let Itachi take another person away. He couldn't…

* * *

Zetsu's lip curled in disgust as he watched the scene before him from a safe place. So, Ashura and Indra were still meddling in affairs they should've let go of when they'd died. They hadn't been able to let it go, the fools, and they'd been reincarnated more times than Zetsu could count. After a while, they had figured out that Zetsu was the one manipulating them, but it wasn't like there'd been anything they could do about it. They were echoes of chakra, not really whole souls, so using even as much power as they just had would knock them out for years.

Still, it was annoying. Zetsu wouldn't have let Naruto die, but a good thrashing that ended with maybe Itachi's death could've pushed Naruto all the way. As it was, he was almost completely in the darkness. Zetsu had seen maybe one or two souls come back from the abyss Naruto was balancing on. But Naruto's soul was incredibly resilient—having the echoes of Ashura's pesky Will of Fire could do that to a person.

Zetsu snickered a little as he sat back, thinking of that silly little 'Will of Fire' nonsense. Yes, Ashura had come up with it to oppose the Curse of Hatred and it had actually worked for years and years. The entire ninja world had adopted it to keep the Curse of Hatred at bay, and they'd done a fairly good job of it. However, the one who truly carried that ideal for this generation was Naruto Uzumaki, and Zetsu had managed to warp Ashura's precious dream in Naruto.

Instead of burning the Curse of Hatred away, Naruto's Will of Fire was destined to absorb the Curse of Hatred. It wasn't a big change—Naruto could still save people from themselves, and this time it was easier than ever for him to do it—but every time he did, his own soul got a little darker. In a sense, he took people's hatred upon himself, so that every person's soul he saved was more hatred within his own soul.

Zetsu had already seen some of the changes it brought about lately, in Obito, whose hatred was dissipating in a disappointing manner, and in Sasuke, whose Curse of Hatred seemed to have faded almost completely. Those two certainly could've put on an impressive show and Zetsu was sad to lose their hatred, but he had a feeling that Naruto's would be worth the loss. Yes, this darkness could be just the thing to swallow the entire world.

It would only take a few more pushes for that to happen, and Zetsu had some plans already in place. A reality-warping wrath, a husk devoid of emotion, and some puppets who could dance just as good on strings as off. All he needed now was time, and of that there was plenty.

Kaguya would be so proud.

* * *

Tsunade caught Sasuke Uchiha as he fell, pressing her hands against his back as his two teammates supported him. She couldn't feel any wounds or any place where his chakra was disturbed, but when she moved one hand up to his forehead she could sense a great mental disturbance. It was like he'd been possessed for a moment by some great presence, one that wasn't malicious but was so full of knowledge that Sasuke's mind had shut itself down to protect him. She used a little chakra to ease his troubled thoughts into peaceful ones, and his face grew slightly more relaxed.

"Is he going to be okay?" the pink-haired kunoichi asked worriedly, her hand tightening on his shoulder as she shot Tsunade an exhausted but brave look. Tsunade sighed, looking out over the battlefield at Jiraiya, who was watching Itachi Uchiha's lonely retreat.

"Physically, yes. Mentally? I don't know—seeing his brother and finding out that his friend is Naruto Uzumaki must be a huge shock."

"Kaze is Naruto?" the other teammate asked, his eyes narrowing as he cast his gaze towards Itachi as well. Tsunade nodded a confirmation, and both ninjas grew silent and thoughtful. They seemed like clever shinobi, the two of them, and if there was anything Sasuke needed now it was two clever, loyal teammates.

"So I see you've been found, Tsunade," Jiraiya said grimly as he came to join the four other ninjas. He looked bone-tired and worn out, and Tsunade could tell that the fight had taken more out of him than just chakra. He'd been completely prepared to kill his godson, and the knowledge that he had it in him to do that must've hurt. It was unusual to see Jiraiya so glum, but then, these were unusual circumstances.

"I have," Tsunade confirmed as she stood, allowing Sasuke's teammates to support him. "Just what's going on here, Jiraiya?"

"It's Konoha business," Jiraiya muttered with a roll of his eyes, waving a hand as if meaning that it didn't concern her. So, glum as he was, Jiraiya was still up to his old games. Tsunade stifled a sigh as she crossed her arms, looking off to where Itachi had disappeared with the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki. From what little time she'd spent with him, he'd seemed happy and go-lucky, crude but not unlike Nawaki. His dream was different, yet ultimately similar, and she couldn't deny the truths he'd unceremoniously dumped into her lap. Despite claiming otherwise to herself, she still cared.

"As the Fifth Hokage, I think I'm entitled to hear Konoha business," Tsunade sniffed airily just as Shizune came up behind her. She heard Shizune stifle a pleased chuckle, which she pointedly ignored as she glared down her nose at Jiraiya.

The heaviness in his shoulders evaporated some as he straightened, and now there was a determined light in his eyes. Well, good. Maybe he'd stick around a little longer and help Tsunade figure out how to fix the generation that had turned a good kid into a monster who wanted to raze his hometown to the ground. Tsunade licked a finger and reached up to wipe the blood from the cut on Jiraiya's face away, ignoring the part of her that still cringed away from blood and memories.

If she were to attempt to fix all that was happening, she couldn't afford to be squeamish. She was a Leaf shinobi, and she refused to let things like blood get to her. Thinking it made it feel more real, and confidence she hadn't had in years surged through her limbs as she straightened. She was the Fifth Hokage now, so she'd damn well act like it.

The Leaf, huh? Well, could be worse. Not much worse, but still… it could always be worse.

* * *

Sasori was the only one in the cave when Itachi returned with Naruto in his arms. He was casually working on fixing Hikami when he looked up to see the older Uchiha taking small, measured steps across the stone, his eyes fixed on a point no one else could see. Sasori knew immediately that something was wrong, and he stood from his crouch, his heart squeezing painfully in a way that it shouldn't. He was a puppet, after all.

"Is he…?" Sasori asked of Naruto, and when Itachi shook his head Sasori knew immediately that it was Kisame. He didn't ask the question though—he only wordlessly accepted the bundle of warmth from Itachi's arms as the other ninja collapsed to the floor, panting from the exertion of carrying Naruto all the way back from wherever they'd been.

Naruto's face was filled with more lines of grief than before, and he was making small noises of pain under his breath as his fists clenched and unclenched. Sasori settled down on the floor cross-legged, laying Naruto beside him as he took the remaining vial of sedative he'd prepared for Konan and fed it to his younger brother.

"What happened?" he asked, pinching Naruto's nose so the boy was forced to swallow. The sedative was quick-enough that Naruto started relaxing immediately, and Sasori took off his Akatsuki cloak, bundling it up so Naruto could use it as a pillow. Then he sat between the two silently grieving members of the Akatsuki and waited patiently. Itachi struggled to speak, looking at Naruto laying deathly still in the grip of a dreamless sleep, and then shook his head.

Strands of dark hair had come loose in his face, and a sheen of sweat made him look more grounded in reality than he ever had. It was so much easier to be a puppet, Sasori thought. It was so much easier to dance to the strings of fate rather than try to go against them.

"I don't know," Itachi finally said, dropping his head between his legs and exhaling loudly. "I don't understand what's going on anymore."

Sasori regarded his friend for a long time, then turned back to Naruto. They needed to contact Pain, find out where Zetsu was, call in the entire group to make a decision. It was the logical, unfeeling way they'd always done things. When Sasori looked back at Itachi, this time the young man was shuddering. There were no tears or sounds other than harsh, jagged breathing, but it looked like he was sobbing nonetheless.

If Sasori was a true puppet, he'd leave the cave right now to find Zetsu. For a brief second, his grandmother's face flashed before his eyes, and her words from the last time they'd spoken echoed in his mind.

 _I'm only happy you've found friends you're willing to talk to me for. As a child, you never had anyone besides your puppets._

He liked to pretend she didn't know a thing about him. He liked to pretend she was a tie he'd cut as simply as a chakra thread, and that the tie could remain severed for the rest of his life.

He got up and went to sit beside Itachi, tapping the younger shinobi on the shoulder. When Itachi looked up, haggard and heartbroken, Sasori handed him a chisel.

"We'll call Pain soon, but he can wait for now. Help me finish fixing Hikami."

They worked in silence until the puppet was done, and when they finally called Pain, Itachi had gotten himself under control so he could deliver his report with unfeeling, unerring accuracy. There was no gratitude, no words between them for either of them to express how much the activity had helped.

But Sasori felt like, somehow, one of the many strings he'd been dancing on had been cut.


	26. Who Has Seen the Wind?

**3 Months Later**

Naruto held Kisame's ring, running his finger along the golden surface. Things were changing, and he had a duty to perform. Itachi tried to talk him out of it, but Naruto had gone to Nagato and got down on one knee to ask to be made a full member of the Akatsuki. His cousin and Konan looked on him with sad eyes, but Nagato relented, and Naruto had donned the black cloak with the red clouds. Now he sat cross legged on top of a rock, looking out over the desert wasteland.

Sand blew across the lifeless place, and despite the sun beating down to make things hot and bright, to Naruto it looked bleak. This was a kill-or-be-killed place, where animals would just as soon pick the flesh off your dead bones as befriend you. The only rule that lived out here was the rule of nature. What other rule was there to live by?

Naruto put the ring on his left ring finger, where a wedding band would go if he ever married. The only thing he would married to from now on was duty, and death would be the only thing he walked hand-in-hand with. He stood up and removed the Leaf headband the Third Hokage had given him back during the Chuunin Exams from the pocket he'd kept it in. He studied the swirling leaf pattern, then took out a kunai. It was time to claim his birthright, and to denounce it a breath later. With one sharp, angry slash, Naruto put a line through the leaf to mark himself a rogue ninja. Then he brought the band to his forehead and tied it on.

 **6 Months Later**

Team 7 stood before Yugao and Tsunade, all awaiting an answer that would change their lives. It had been Sasuke's idea, and he'd meant to go alone, but Sakura and Sai refused to let him walk into the darkness by himself. Doing this was the only way to get information now, the only way he could find out the truth behind the shinobi Naruto Uzumaki.

"You're just children," Tsunade said, her eyes full of grief, because even she knew that wasn't true. Kakashi, who had been leaning against the wall behind them, straightened up and walked out to stand with them.

"They aren't, Tsunade," he said sadly. "The experiences they've been through have made them shinobi."

"Yugao?" Tsunade asked. The Anbu Commander stepped forward, her mask concealing the truth of her expression, as always. She studied each of the Team 7 members for a long time, before bowing her head. Her voice was as steady and precise as always, delivering her opinion with no hesitation.

"We have lost many members. If you permit it, I will welcome them."

"I can see I'm outnumbered," Tsunade sighed, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms. "Very well. Your request has been accepted. As of now, Team 7 shall begin training to become members of the Anbu Black Ops."

 **8 Months Later**

Kakashi knelt in front of Rin's grave, washing it off with infinite gentleness, making sure to get every sprinkle of pollen and every small blade of grass that had blown onto it. When he was finished, he replaced her flowers with fresh lilies then bowed his head and began to tell her all the things that had been happening lately. Halfway through, he was interrupted by a presence behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see a figure wearing an orange mask with a single eyehole. The eyehole was on the right side. Kakashi stood.

"There's something I need to confirm," a voice spoke from behind the mask, and Kakashi's eyes went wide. It was deeper, coarser, and more serious than before, but there was no mistaking the underlying emotions and tone in the voice. It was impossible. It was a dream—it had to be. The person wearing the mask seemed hesitant, as if unsure what would happen, and Kakashi launched himself at them.

For a second, their eye flashed to Sharingan and he could feel reality distorting a little, but he didn't care. It all stopped when he collided with the figure, wrapping his arms tightly around a body he'd been sure was buried and long gone. At that moment, he didn't need to know why, how, or what. All he needed to know was that this was reality.

"Welcome home," he whispered, and slowly, ever so slowly, Obito Uchiha embraced him back.

 **10 Months Later**

Team 7 had completed the first phase of their training and were now on their first mission as Anbu Black Ops. There was a disturbance in the Land of Water that required Konoha's attention—two rogue Leaf shinobi had attacked and brutally slain the Water Daimyo. It was suspected that the two were hired mercenaries whom one village or another had hired, but things were in an upset and the balance of power was a more important problem to the Land of the Water than figuring out who had been behind the attack.

Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai travelled there to investigate, meeting with an emissary from the Village Hidden in the Mist. He explained what had happened, and how all witnesses had been slaughtered but a young boy. The young boy, however, was too frightened to say what had happened.

Sai and Sasuke weren't good with kids, but Sakura knew how to talk to them, so she spent the next three days coaxing the boy out of his shell so he'd speak to her. When she left the small, poor house that the boy lived in, now an orphan since his parents had been some of the witnesses who were killed, her face was hard and angry.

"They wore black cloaks with red clouds," she said. "One of them had red eyes—a Sharingan, and the other was blonde with strange markings on his face."

 **1 Year Later**

Team 7 along with Teams 8, 9, and 10 went to Suna, not for a mission, but for a friend. It was Gaara's Kazekage inauguration. At fourteen years old, he was the youngest Kage to ever be inaugurated, and a lot of people doubted his ability to lead them into a better future due to his inexperience. The Leaf didn't doubt him for a second, however, and Tsunade herself came with the three teams to show her support for Suna's new Kazekage.

After Gaara gave his speech, everyone from the Leaf cheered as loud as they could. Hinata Hyuuga cheered the loudest from her spot beside Neji, who rolled his eyes but smirked. From his spot on the roof where he'd always like to hang out as a child, Gaara could see over the entire village. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of someone standing far off from the crowd, half hidden between two houses. The figure was small, and had donned a conical hat to hide his face. Still, Gaara knew exactly who it was, and tears welled up in his eyes as he gave the tiniest nod to a friend he hadn't seen in a year.

The figure tipped his hat, a yellow ring flashing out from his left ring finger, then turned and walked away. Gaara spotted Sasuke Uchiha watching him with wide eyes, then Sasuke turned and ran towards the spot Gaara had nodded at. But when he reached it, no one was there. Gaara felt sad that this was how things had to be; he'd never wanted it like this.

Then Temari and Kankuro came up to him laughing and he felt a little better, enough that he could go join in the celebration. As he sipped on a drink and tried his best to mingle with the people who wanted to be close to him, he noticed his older sister leaving the celebration with the laziest man Gaara had ever met. Of course—one of their shogi games they periodically played when they visited each others' villages to deliver news about upcoming Chuunin Exams. Gaara approved of them wholeheartedly, though Temari swore up and down that it was platonic.

He wondered if he'd ever find someone like that. Then Hinata came up to shyly congratulate him and he forgot all about Temari and Shikamaru.

 **1 Year, 4 Months Later**

Naruto knew so many jutsus it wasn't funny, and his stock just kept increasing. At this point, it wasn't like he'd even use half of them in his lifetime, but he thought he may as well keep expanding his limits. He wanted more, he needed to be stronger. Until the day he could implement the Eye of the Moon plan with Zetsu, he needed to be strong enough to kill anyone and everyone who tried to stop him. And he needed to be strong enough to seize eight jinchuurikis.

"Naruto," Obito said as Naruto perfected yet another jutsu—he'd been going at a rate of about one per day now. They seemed to get easier the more he learned, probably because he was learning hundreds of new ways chakra could be used and it helped him come up with shortcuts. It wasn't good enough though, nothing was ever good enough.

"The Infinite Tsukiyomi… I'm thinking it may not be as good a plan as I'd originally thought."

Naruto bounced a kunai off a shuriken off a rock, and the two weapons burst into shadow clones, one in front of Obito and one behind him. Obito was prepared—he'd destroyed both clones as soon as they appeared, then waited for Naruto's attack, but Naruto had run instead of attacking, leaving in that one second Obito was distracted.

Away from Obito's prying eyes, he leaned his head against a tree and closed his eyes, his heart aching. It was like the time his chakra network had burst and he'd had to wait for his fingers to heal on their own. He was used to his pains going away, but this pain still lingered after more than a year. The Infinite Tsukiyomi wasn't a good idea? Where the fuck else could Naruto, Itachi, and Sasuke coexist peacefully? Where the fuck else could Naruto keep everything he loved safe? The agony was like being torn in two, and sometimes it doubled him over and stole his breath so he had to draw in large gasps.

It hurt. It hurt so bad he wanted to give up, and he was almost grateful that he'd be able to give his life to the Akatsuki in another couple of years.

 **1 Year, 6 Months Later**

"I have someone I'd like you to meet," Obito told Kakashi.

Itachi Uchiha stepped out of the forest and inclined his head slightly. Then the two Uchihas proceeded to tell Kakashi about a great many things, most of which were sick, disturbing, and sad. The Akatsuki, which meant 'dawn', was planning to bring a new dawn to the world which would be a better, more peaceful place. But the ends didn't justify the means, and the intentions didn't justify the ends.

 **1 Year, 8 Months Later**

"Sasuke," Kakashi said to his former student. "I think I've found someone who can start training you on how to use your Sharingan to its full potential."

 **2 Years Later**

Sakura asked Tsunade to take her on as a student, and after seeing how much chakra control Sakura had already mastered, Tsunade complied. Sakura worked day in and day out with the Fifth Hokage, learning not only jutsus and control, but also about the inner workings of a village and how things were run. It was something she would come to cherish later when missions with the Anbu brought her into the middle of political wars and she could deal with things diplomatically instead of roughly.

It was this knowledge that matured her and made her listen when Kakashi said she should meet someone who wanted to anonymously deliver Akatsuki intel. It was this knowledge, and only this knowledge, that kept her from running and alerting the entire village to the presence of Itachi Uchiha, the man who had destroyed her best friend's life.

"There are circumstances about it that you can't understand," Itachi had said. Sakura pressed him with threats and pleading until finally Kakashi had intervened and forced Itachi to reveal the entire story. Sakura understood immediately why Itachi wasn't able to tell Sasuke, and her heart ached for the tragic fates of the remaining Uchihas. After agreeing to keep Itachi's secret, Sakura began to meet with him monthly. The things she learned about the Akatsuki, about Pain, about Naruto… they changed things within her that she hadn't known existed.

 **2 Years, 4 Months Later**

Sai walked through Konoha with Ino on his arm, enjoying her presence simply because he liked being with her. He pointed out things and called them landmarks when they weren't, and Ino's giggles filled him with a happiness he rarely experienced as a member of the Anbu Black Ops. It was almost funny, that the missions he was doing now were sometimes more horrifying than the ones he'd done for Danzo, yet he didn't need to turn off his emotions anymore. He cherished them all, even the bad ones.

"I heard you have a new trainer," Ino said as they stopped to get ramen. Ino knew Sai wasn't supposed to talk about stuff like that, but she also knew he found it hard to keep anything from her. Slurping tasty noodles, he told her about how he was now being trained in kenjutsu, but he couldn't tell her by who.

She probably figured it out anyway—her mind was much sharper than anyone gave her credit for—but she said nothing and they continued an amicable evening. Near the end, they met up with Sakura and Sasuke and the four of them had so much fun showing off how bad their astrology knowledge was that Sai decided his real dream in life was simply to protect this. He didn't need to become Hokage, be respected by the village, or be recognized by the world. He only needed Ino and his two teammates with him, smiling and happy.

 **2 Years, 8 Months Later**

By the time Itachi caught up with him, Naruto was already done the mission. He was staring in shock at a pink-haired kunoichi who lay facedown in the mud beside the wagon of people he'd killed, and his hands were trembling. Itachi knew he wanted to turn the kunoichi over—did he recognize her?—but he seemed too scared to move. So Itachi went to her and gently flipped her body. When Naruto saw her face, his relief was a palpable thing.

Without making a comment, he turned away, but not before Itachi caught the indecision on his face. Naruto would do whatever it took to help the Akatsuki, but Itachi could see that it was breaking him piece by piece.

"Naruto, if you don't want to—"

"Everything will be fine. In a few years, no one will be unhappy anymore. You'll see."

 **3 Years Later**

Sasori was shaking his head, his eyes gray storm clouds. But he said nothing, and neither did Itachi. He couldn't push Naruto further into the darkness.

 **3 Years, 3 Months Later**

Sasuke grabbed the arm of the man in front of him, half expecting the man to turn and curse him out for grabbing the wrong person. But when the blonde turned, it was exactly who Sasuke had been expecting to see, and that was way more terrifying than seeing an unfamiliar face.

"Naruto," Sasuke breathed through his mask, shocked to find his friend casually strolling through the Land of Stone in full Akatsuki gear. Naruto faced him and blanched, taking in Sasuke's Anbu mask. Sasuke knew Naruto recognized him, but the blonde jerked his arm away, his face creased in misery.

"We can't be friends. We can't train together. We can't do anything together except in a dream," Naruto said. He sounded crazy, and his eyes looked half-insane, as if caught between heaven and hell. Half of Naruto's expression was enraptured, while the other half was in agony. Sasuke didn't know which side was for him, or if maybe they both were.

"You're wrong," Sasuke began, but Naruto jerked his arm away and lost himself in the crowd. By the time Sasuke had recovered, Naruto was long gone and his trail was ice cold.

The next time he saw Naruto, it was in a dream. They were tangled in skin together, hot and laughing, and Naruto's eyes were as light and happy as the last day Sasuke had trained with him. After Sasuke awoke, aching and sweaty, he forced himself into a shower on the coldest setting and tried to forget his dreams. It might've worked if they hadn't kept recurring.

 **3 Years, 7 Months Later**

Itachi told Sakura that Naruto was suffering. Sakura told Itachi that Sasuke was suffering. They both agreed that something needed to be done, and they began to work on a plan.

 **3 Years, 10 Months Later**

The Akatsuki, who had lived in the dark for so long, were now rapidly becoming notorious. They were known for taking any missions and carrying them out with a deadly efficiency that surpassed any of the villages. Plus, their prices were competitive enough that the daimyos considered them even though they were essentially the black market of mercenaries. It was gradual, but villages were starting to notice a slight decline in their economies.

Yugao called Team 7, now considered one of the top Anbu teams in the entire organization, to speak with her. She had grown harder, colder, and stronger, only showing the slightest hints of softness every now and again. Team 7 was her favourite team not because of their skill set—which was formidable indeed—but because they were the peacemakers Hayate had entrusted her with.

She'd taken it upon herself to oversee their training, and Sai Yamanaka, who had denounced the Shimura name and taken his girlfriend's last name instead, had become her personal kenjutsu student. His skills were almost as good as hers now, and he was quickly becoming known as Sai of the Scarlet Sword. Donning a smiling monkey mask, Sai could fight his way through half an army without taking a single scratch, which was why he'd become known as 'Scarlet Sword.' When he was finished his fights, the only thing with blood on it was his sword.

Sasuke was known as Sasuke of the Silent Sharingan, since he was an expert in genjutsu and could put his enemies to sleep with ease, singlehandedly doing invasions without raising a single alarm bell. Yugao wasn't certain who his teacher was—some of his training came from Kakashi and some of it came from an unknown source—but she'd learned not to question it. Sasuke wore a sneering fox mask which showed his cunning and resourcefulness, and also for other, more personal reasons.

Sakura, her pink hair hanging almost to her waist when it wasn't bound up, wore a smirking cat mask to show her speed and grace. She was on her way to becoming one of the most desired women in the village now, but she was too dedicated to her training and teammates to stay with any boy. In reference to her trainer, Tsunade, she was known as the Demon Princess of Konoha for her demonic strength and the way Sasuke made her look like an avenging demon when he cast a genjutsu.

The three of them had come to be feared and revered in the last couple of years, elevated to the status of legends in the Leaf. Now Yugao needed that strength, as she'd just heard some troubling news from a source Kakashi refused to name. The Akatsuki were planning to move soon, because their secret weapon had finally reached the height of his power.

"I called you here because I've decided to form a special squad," Yugao said. Team 7 waited patiently, calmly, for Yugao's next orders. They'd come so far that she couldn't believe they were all a bunch of sixteen-year-olds.

"The Akatsuki, as you're all aware, has been moving more and more, carrying out plans that are riskier and flashier than ever. I have reason to believe they're preparing to make a move to carry out an even larger plan soon, and I need a team to assign solely to keep an eye on them. As the most skilled Anbu members in our organization, I'd like to assign you."

Sasuke's eager shift from one foot to the other was the only sign that the team had an opinion one way or another. When their masks were on, they became as emotionless as machines.

"Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai, you will responsible for hunting down these rogue ninjas and doing whatever you can to stop them, even if that means eliminating them. As this is a long term mission, you'll be moving under special circumstances. Where you go, what you do, and how you do it is all up to you. You have the entire knowledge base of the Anbu at your disposal, and if necessary, I'll send you backup. Is your mission understood?"

"Yes, Commander," the three replied in perfect unison, bowing at the waist. If Yugao hadn't spent the last three years with them, she would've thought they considered this nothing more than a casual mission. As it was, the only thing giving away a hint of emotion was a slight tensing of muscles in anticipation, and a tremor in a few fingers.

 **4 Years Later**

"Are you ready, Naruto Uzumaki?"

The entire Akatsuki stood around the lantern at the usual spot, every single one of them real and whole, not just some ephemeral form. They all faced Naruto, and there wasn't a face among them that held humour or happiness. It was time for things to begin, and at the end of this path all that awaited the kyuubi's jinchuuriki was death.

Naruto's eyes were cobalt flint, unflinching in the face of his grand destiny. He would do what he must, and he would create peace even if he had to smash the world down to its barest form and rebuild it again. That elusive, slippery thing that hundreds of shinobi had reached for would be his, and he wouldn't let a single ninja stand in his way.

"I'm ready."

His voice was deep and resolute, carrying not a trace of the childishness it had once held. He had grown into the heavy cloak that hung on his shoulders, and if he was slightly hunched under the weight of its black mass, well, that was okay. There would soon be a time when this body wasn't useful, and Naruto didn't need to care for it the way those who planned to live did.

 _Birth. Death. Birth. Death._

The never-ending cycle that Itachi had once told him about was soon going to come to an end. In order to stop a cycle, you had to smash it from both sides, because stopping only one side just wouldn't do. There would no longer be new souls born into this world of suffering; the children of the future would be put to rest and appear only in a happy dream.

 _Light. Dark. Light. Dark._

There wasn't so much difference between the two, really. What Naruto wanted was something other ninjas wanted too. Just because the means and end were different, it didn't make it dark or wrong. The world wasn't made in shades of black and white; it was more muted down to gray, and Naruto's abilities to see the other colours had diminished over time.

 _Reality. Dream. Reality. Dream._

If this was reality, Naruto would choose to dream every time.

"Let's go."


	27. A Fox in Sheep's Clothing

Sakura pulled her mask down over her face, securing it, before nodding to Sasuke and Sai. Sai drew his katana from its sheath silently, the blade glinting silver in the moonlight, and waited as Sasuke went ahead. Sasuke's steps were confident and so light they didn't make a single pebble roll down the hill as he descended, Sakura and Sai in his wake.

The first guard didn't notice—he was idly picking at his ear, examining a finger for wax—and Sai smoothly slid past Sasuke into the inky shadows of the night. With one swift blow from the hilt of his katana, Sai dropped the guard and caught him before he hit the ground, dragging the man into a nearby bush. Sasuke paused, searching the area intently, and then looked over his shoulder to give Sakura one small shake of his head, crimson glinting in the slits of his fox's eyes.

Hm, so it was less heavily guarded than they'd been led to believe. Of course people would bluff about how heavily guarded this was; they wouldn't want anyone thinking they could get in. If anyone else had decided to call the bluff, however, the man Anbu's Team 7 was going to see could be killed with relative ease. For someone who seemed so cautious, this man was truly stupid.

Team 7 reached the bottom of the hill unchallenged, and Sakura held up one hand to get the boys to pause as she studied the bamboo gate rising up in a square around the massive house they were about to break into. There was only one entrance in if you didn't want to hop the fence, and this place at least was as heavily guarded as rumours dictated. There were four guards—three women and a man, each searching the shadowy area near the fence with an alertness the previous guard hadn't shown. These ones must've been shinobi guards, then.

Sasuke held up one finger, and Sakura and Sai paused while he strolled out into the clearing near the entrance as casual as anything. Two women and the man were immediately caught Sasuke's genjutsu, their eyes widening in shock before they went boneless and slumped to the ground. The third woman must've known something about the Sharingan, though, because she avoided Sasuke's eyes and opened her mouth to shout.

An ink snake that had been slithering through the shadows took care of that, lunging and wrapping itself around her mouth before she could even breathe in. In a panic, her eyes flickered to Sasuke's, then rolled up in her head. Sakura, Sai, and Sasuke were already walking past her before she collapsed, their treads light as feathers. Sasuke tilted his head, the colour of his eyes deepening, and held up three fingers. Sakura nodded to show that she understood then took the lead, the two boys behind her.

They'd passed the bamboo gate and were now in a clearing bathed in moonlight, with no other guards outside. The house in front of them stretched up forebodingly, wrapped in an ochre deck that also looked like it was made of bamboo, and that deck was what they sprang onto now. Sakura set her hands against a sliding door and tilted two fingers towards the door's track. An ink beast crawled into the track then dissolved into a puddle of black, which served as a lubricant when Sakura eased the door open, absolutely silent.

Standing near the door were three shinobi, two of them asleep and a third looking like he was getting there. Sakura helped him along with two senbon dipped in a fast-acting sedative, then hit both of his companions for good measure. They didn't wake upon the impact, and they certainly wouldn't be waking now.

Sakura sprung into the house and motioned for Sai and Sasuke to follow, sliding the door shut soundlessly behind them. Sasuke took the lead again, pausing every now and again to point out a nearby guard, which Sai or Sakura would take out with a well-timed blow. When they finally reached the door to the bedroom, leaving a trail of slumbering or otherwise incapacitated people in their wake, Sasuke shifted his mask his to make sure his eyes showed as completely as they could. Sai stepped back and gestured for Sakura to go ahead of him, and she stood directly behind Sasuke as he threw the door open.

The man they were after lay slumbering in a futon big enough to fit four people, his limbs stretched out to take up every inch of space. They were lucky to get him when his wife was away, but then, it was more than just luck, really. Sasuke strode across the room, easy confidence making him graceful as he took up position next to the drooling, snoring man. He looked up at Sakura with a question, and she answered it with a nod, shifting her own cat mask out of habit.

Sasuke reached out and seized the man by the jaw, his entire hand over the man's mouth so that even after the man woke up and thought to scream, he wouldn't be able to. And, oh, he wanted to scream when he awoke, staring into the full force of a Sharingan that could make Kages weep for mercy. He was too groggy, too unsuspecting at first, so he didn't notice that he was in a genjutsu. Maybe he'd never figure it out—but if that was the case, he'd almost certainly have nightmares about what had happened for the rest of his life, always looking over his shoulder.

Sasuke had shown Sakura what he made her look like once, and she'd enjoyed the sight very much. Her mask looked like it was blending into her face, the feline features grinning madly as the mouth moved along with her words, blood running in a continuous scarlet streak from her mouth. Her hair seemed like it was made of Sakura petals, and they kept swaying disturbingly even if there was no wind, gentle yet sharp enough to cut. Wrapped around her limbs were chains—they looked slightly like the ones Naruto used, but Sasuke swore they weren't—and the chains writhed constantly, winding themselves about whoever she spoke to.

Of course, there were no chains, blood, or petals. There was only the Demon Princess of Konoha's genjutsu, and that sight was enough to strike fear into even the hardest hearts. The man before them now certainly didn't have a hard heart, so the sight scared him so much he was halfway across the room at a speed even the three ninjas hadn't expected. Sakura rolled her eyes beneath her mask and leapt, landing lightly in front of him as he scrabbled with the sliding door, whimpering.

"My lord," she hissed, purposely making her voice rasp out ominously. The man in front of her forgot a door existed as he pressed his back against the wall, closing his eyes and bringing his hands up to make a sign to ward off evil.

"Look at her," Sasuke commanded sharply, already fed up with the man's antics. He had little patience for people who were weak or cowardly.

"W-what d-do you w-want?" the man stammered out, his hands still raised before him. He absolutely refused to open his eyes, as if looking at Sakura would make the demonic illusion that much more real. Fair enough, Sakura supposed, since sight and phantom sensations were all she was.

"The Akatsuki," Sakura murmured as she crouched down, stretching a hand out to lay it on top of the man's head. He let out a startled cry and finally opened his eyes, tears rising up in them as he shook his head. She could see his indecisiveness about who was scarier, and she put one hand behind her back to signal Sasuke. The man in front of her squealed like a pig as Sasuke made it look like illusory chains were wrapping around him.

"I'll talk! Please! J-just don't—"

"Oh, it's not information we want," Sakura purred, squeezing his head with enough force that he was sure to have a bruise for each of her fingers in the morning. His lips trembled and tears spilled onto his cheeks as he looked at her, silently begging her to tell him what she wanted so he could offer it up in place of his life. What a weak, idiotic man. This was the great Fire Daimyo, who caused problems for the entire Country of Fire and got involved in all sorts of ridiculous back-door decisions? Sakura was tempted to squeeze just a little tighter so that greedy mind of his came leaking from his ears.

"You're going to stop hiring them," Sakura said with a smile like death, knowing it would look exactly as threatening as she wanted it to with Sasuke's interference. The man's eyes flickered from Sakura to the two shinobi behind her, but all he'd see of them in the genjutsu was two ephemeral demons flickering in and out of existence. It was better he didn't know that Konoha was involved, after all.

"B-but…" he began, trailing off when Sakura's fingers got tighter and he probably heard the creak of his skull.

"Eyes on me," Sakura laughed quietly, and the horrified man's eyes turned back to her obediently. "You _will_ do this. If we hear you're hiring out again, we'll drag you down to the place we come from and all the riches in the world won't be able to save your soul. The horrors you'll witness and experience down there… oh, the horrors, my lord, you can't even begin to imagine."

"No more Akatsuki!" the Fire Daimyo agreed perhaps a little too quickly. His voice was enthusiastic, eager to please, eager now that he knew there was a chance he could live. My, my. What a hasty little man he was. Sakura leaned down for him to get a close-up of her bloody cat's mouth, fangs streaked with rustic stains old and new, and the man's entire body froze as she brought her mouth to his ear.

"That's correct; no more Akatsuki. Until then, though, these chains will remain wrapped around you as just a little reminder. If I hear you speaking one word of agreement to a single red cloud, we'll have to chat again. And this time, it won't be in the comfort of your own home. These chains follow me wherever I go, and all it'll take is a tiny… little… _tug_."

At the last word, Sasuke stepped forward and Sakura could sense a change in the genjutsu. She wondered what sensation Sasuke would project for Hell, but then she decided that maybe she didn't want to wonder about that much longer. The Fire Daimyo screamed in agony, his eyes snapping shut as he began to roll about the floor, tearing at his clothes and beating at them like they were full of flames. Sasuke watched impassively, and Sakura allowed him a solid minute of this before she signalled for him to stop. He did, although gradually.

The Fire Daimyo was left in a drooling mess on the floor, snot, tears, and saliva mixing into the puddle his head lay in. His eyes rolled and twitched spasmodically, and Sakura knew they'd maybe gone a bit too far. She crouched and pressed one fingertip to the man's head, easing his roiling mind just enough for him to fall into unconsciousness. Then she stood, cracking her neck from side to side, and held up two fingers, tipping them towards the door.

Anbu's Team 7 left the home of the Fire Daimyo unchallenged, the moon the only thing watching them. As usual, it was mission complete.

This was to be their last mission before their objective switched from stopping the Akatsuki's political agenda to stopping Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

Wrapped fingers with nails brushed in black polish tapped a melody on the long table as a row of shinobi studied the figure the fingers were attached to. Their faces wore disgusted expressions, some of them sneering while others looked simply furious. The silence in the room was unnatural, stretching out unbroken as everyone except for the blonde boy at the table head began to sweat.

Finally, unable to take the tension, one of the shinobi men burst from his seat and levelled an accusing finger at Naruto, his expression a mix of triumph and uncertainty.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, devil?" he cried out, his voice harsh and grating in Naruto's ears. Naruto smirked, but said absolutely nothing, and everyone in the room seemed to take it as a sign of guilt. They erupted into speak all at once, yelling, pointing fingers, and making a general racket until the leader who had spoken shushed them.

"If he says nothing, he is quite clearly guilty," the leader declared, as if he'd said some great, memorable thing. Everyone at the table nodded quickly, and the leader signalled for two ninjas to grab Naruto by the arms. A man and a woman moved to stand beside him, and he offered no resistance as they hefted him up by the armpits and began to practically drag him towards the door. The glittering, silvery chains binding his hands and feet together allowed no use of chakra, no way to break them or escape.

Another ninja ran ahead to shove rough wooden doors open, and Naruto was shoved into harsh sunlight that made him narrow his eyes and squint until his eyes could adjust. The open chamber he'd just been in was situated conspicuously in the middle of a field, and if someone didn't know what was going on here, they would've found the entire situation intensely weird. A single-roomed hut with a table for convening a council in the middle of a field, thirteen shinobi dragging a chained fourteenth through the middle of a crowd, and hundreds of civilians gathered around a single apple tree.

"Evil!" "Devil!" "Monster!" "Go back to Hell!" "You shouldn't have been born!" "Hurry up and die!"

Hundreds of voices chorused out at Naruto, and a few people even threw rocks with fairly accurate arms. If Naruto hadn't been held in place by two shinobi, he might've been able to dodge, but since he was unable to move the rocks struck him in the face and took gouges out of his skin. He spat blood from a broken tooth, and turned to shoot an unwavering look at the people throwing rocks. They cringed back, throwing up their hands as if his look dirtied them, and he heard someone make a horrified comment about how his wounds were already healing.

One of the shinobi holding him shoved his head back down, and then he was walked on through the crowd, at some points getting hit with rotten fruit so that decaying slop dripped down his face. Under his breath, he let out the slightest of sighs as Zetsu was proven right yet again. Human beings were truly despicable creatures.

When he'd finally made his way through the entire crowd, he was shoved forward roughly and stumbled up a couple of steps of a platform situated below the apple tree. He looked up tiredly as he crested the final step, only to be grabbed again by two more ninjas. They tugged him to the middle of the oaken platform and spun him to face the jeering crowd, which grew silent. A thin, reedy man wearing a pair of half-moon glasses stepped forward to address the crowd in a tremulous voice, hints of asthmatic lungs coming into the words as he spoke.

"This man, Naruto Namikaze, has been accused of being a jinchuuriki," the man called, and the crowd bristled with hatred, gazes hot with accusation turning to Naruto. Man, these people were way worse than even Konoha.

"It's Uzumaki, actually," Naruto corrected, and he was awarded a slap across the mouth for his correction.

"Uzumaki," he said again with a lopsided grin, and this time the open hand turned into a fist and he could hear the delicate bones in his nose crunch at the punch. He grunted in pain as his nose streamed blood; this was not very pleasant.

"As the remaining members of Uzushio—"

Naruto tried to protest against that too, since he knew for a fact that not a single one of these freaks was from Uzushio. That earned him a blow to the stomach so harsh his breakfast came back up, and that really pissed him off. It was ramen! Ramen! These stupid fuckers had wasted ramen simply because he refuted an untrue claim.

"—we have used Uzumaki Chains to bind him. The power the devil has granted him cannot be used, and so now we can deal out his punishment."

Naruto groaned softly; using the Uzumaki name for something so ridiculous made this personal. These chains had been crafted with the intent to bind chakra, yes, but they weren't Uzumaki Chains. Naruto wanted to correct the man about that too—Uzumaki Chains couldn't be used as objects by anyone other than someone with the correct chakra, since they were chakra manifestations—but he had a feeling that trying to explain that might end with something even more painful than the last few blows.

"As agents of peace, we cannot allow jinchuurikis to walk around this world unchained and unpunished!" the asthma-man cried out. The crowd cheered at that, getting riled up and shoving each other so they could all get closer to the platform. Naruto shifted from foot to foot, idly wondering if there was any way to make the Akatsuki cloak less hot. On a sunny day like this, the thing soaked up heat like nobody's business.

"Before we begin, is there anything you have to say for yourself, Naruto Namikaze?" the man demanded, his high voice suggesting that there better not be anything Naruto should have to say at the end of his life. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man, and even that slight movement earned him a slap to the back of the head which sent the crowd into hysterics.

"I have just one question," Naruto said softly, and asthma-man's face began to get so red at Naruto's insolence that Naruto was sure he'd keel over and croak right there. Quickly, before that could happen, Naruto forged on. "How many other 'jinchuurikis' have you killed?"

It took a moment of spluttering indignation for the man to finally calm down enough to speak. When he did, though, there was a glint of pride in his eye, and he seemed to stand a little straighter.

"Twenty-two!" he said with an expansive sweep of his stick-like arms, sending the crowd roaring their approval. Naruto closed his eyes, trying to calm himself as even Kurama's shock permeated throughout him.

"But there are only nine," Naruto whispered, unable to point out that every single one of those nine were all still alive. He'd come across things like this before, witch-hunts where people saw devils in every person who was different or outside of their own beliefs. Zetsu lead him to these places so he could put an end to them, and he'd done everything he could. Yet everything he could didn't change the fact that people like these existed, or that they killed innocents. Twenty-two. Twenty-two innocent people had been killed, and for what?

"Lies! Shut your lying mouth!" the man cried, and Naruto was pummeled by blows from all sides. He curled in on himself to escape them, mouth twisting grimly. This wasn't funny anymore—this place had gone further than any of the other places he'd been to.

"It is time for the devil's punishment!" a voice said, maybe from the crowd, maybe from the man; Naruto couldn't tell anymore. He was crudely jerked into an upright position and forced on his toes as someone lowered a noose over his head. The rope was an unforgiving burn at his throat as it was tightened more than necessary, the coarse fibers rubbing uncomfortably over his Adam's apple. He was too short to go back to the soles of his feet, and he was forced to remain on his toes as the three shinobi that had fit the noose over his head stepped back.

"You are hereby declared an enemy of humanity, a blight, a _plague_ , on our very existence! As such, we sentence you to the only thing one of your ilk deserves! _Death by hanging!_ "

The crowd exploded into cheers, and Naruto was sickened to see children among them. Some of the children looked nervous, as if this was their first time seeing people die, but others had that same crazy look in their eye that people got when they were swept up with a crowd. If this was allowed to continue, it would become a cycle, propagating itself over and over until hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent lives were taken due to the fanaticism of a few.

The hand of the man who'd been speaking—both the announcer and the executioner, Naruto supposed—hovered over a switch that likely had mechanics under it that would allow it to drop the floor out from underneath Naruto's feet. Naruto wondered for a brief second what the other people standing here had felt when that switch had been pulled. A sharp, painful crack as the tiny, incredibly important bones in their neck were crushed up against each other and then broken? A collapsing of airways that led to a horrible gasping whereupon the gasper learned oxygen could no longer enter their lungs? A burning pain as the few circular muscles lining the esophagus were torn apart by the force of the drop? All of it together, at once, causing an unbearable panic and agony in the last few seconds of life?

The executioner pulled the switch, and the floor dropped out from under Naruto. The crowd went nuts for a second, screaming, stamping their feet, and roaring in approval, until they realised that Naruto was exactly where he'd been before the switch had been pulled. He surveyed them, unsmiling, as they stared back in stunned silence.

"The—the devil is… the devil is making him float!" someone screamed. Naruto's gaze snapped to that person, and he pulled his lips back in a snarl he imagined a devil would make. Then he jerked his hands apart and the chain snapped like a twig between his hands. He reached up and grabbed the rope around his neck with one hand, breaking it with ease.

"W-w-w-" the asthma man wheezed uncomprehendingly as Naruto casually swung on the rope and jumped to land lightly beside him.

"Who the fuck chained me up?" Naruto asked, eyes hard as he stared at the man. Everyone was silent now, watching the scene with eyes bugging from their heads. The asthma man continued to splutter and wheeze, unable to come up with a coherent answer.

"I did," Naruto supplied as the Chains around his feet dissolved. The ones on his hands had been the usual chakra binding ones this group used, but those weren't enough to hold back his Nine-Tails chakra along with his usual chakra. If there'd been some on his feet, it was possible that would've been enough, but in the excitement of catching someone declaring themselves a jinchuuriki, the men chaining him had assumed the Chains on his feet were the same as the ones on his wrists. Big mistake. Almost as big as making him vomit up his ramen.

Naruto cut the chakra threads he'd attached to the apple tree with one hand, raising a single eyebrow at asthma man. The man seemed to be drowning in air as he fell back onto the platform, crab walking backwards to escape the hot wrath of Naruto's gaze.

"Is your God merciful?" Naruto asked as he took a step forward. The rest of the shinobi and crowd could've used this chance to attack, but they seemed as helplessly frozen as the executioner.

"Because let me tell you something…" Naruto murmured as he let Kurama's anger surface slightly, changing his eyes for show. He cast a glance out over the audience, monstrous eyes resting for a second on each face there. He'd originally spared the children in groups like these, but Zetsu went back to slaughter them anyway, claiming it was better that way. It was still hard, but Naruto was learning that Zetsu was as right about that as he was about humanity. Men, women, children… there was no hope for any of them.

"I'm not."


End file.
